


What If I’m Yours?

by ThoseSpaceGays



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A/B/O, Alpha Lance, Alpha Lotor (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Altean Hunk (Voltron), Altean Lance (Voltron), Altean Pidge | Katie Holt, Altean Prince Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, Beta Allura (Voltron), Can't think of any more tags rn okay bye, Don't Read This, Eventual Relationships, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Galra Keith (Voltron), Galra Shiro (Voltron), Good Haggar (Voltron), Good Lotor (Voltron), Heartache, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Just lots of fluff, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Like I love them okay, M/M, Mentions of Breeding, Minor Allura/Lotor, Omega Keith, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Public Display of Affection, References to Knotting, Self-Esteem Issues, Shadam, Slow Burn, Space Dad Shiro, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, Will add tags as I think of them, adashi, alpha shiro, but I also make them suffer, i hate this, klance, minor shiro/allura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2019-07-28 11:14:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 159,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16240484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThoseSpaceGays/pseuds/ThoseSpaceGays
Summary: *UPDATE EVERY OTHER FRIDAY*The Galra was one of the most powerful kingdom to ever exists, with powerful Galra with many allies, but plenty of enemies too. For decades, they’ve been at war with the Alteans, and are losing. Even King Zarkon knew that this war can’t go on forever. He desperately wants to end the war before the kingdom falls.After learning that King Alfor’s son, Prince Lance, is an Alpha and will take over as king, Zarkon could only think of one thing he could offer: his youngest son, Prince Keith, the first Omega born in the royal line in centuries.Lance and Keith both learn to cope with the arrangement, trying to keep fighting everyday without being reminded of their destinies. They both believe in the same thing: that this wasn’t going to work, that there was no way either one of them would come out of this satisfied. That no matter what happened, they weren't in control of their own lives. Instead, the boys learn that living with each other isn’t as bad as it sounds. If they can learn to become friends, than maybe, just maybe, some other good things could come out of this.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried a thing

_In this land, four kingdoms exist together in peace. The Alteans, the Galra, the Balmerans, and the Olkari. Four species; four kingdoms. While all of them are relatively peaceful, keeping the peace for as long as they have is no easy task. Keeping peace means they must tolerate their wishes, their beliefs, and their people._  
  
_The Alteans are elf like creatures with amazing magical abilities. Their most noticeable trait are their pointy ears and the marks found under their eyes. Their technology advances almost every day and their friendly nature makes them easy to negotiate with. Their incredible skillful with a bow, making them acceptable spies._  
  
_The Galra as feline creatures, with 99% of pure Galra DNA coming from wild cats, and it is believe that the Galra are an evolved species of them. Their feline qualities make them excellent hunters and incredible at seeking in the dark. They have amazing reflexes and are really flexible, making them tough components in the battlefield. However, their ego and lack of strategy makes them easy to take down after getting past their brute strength._  
  
_The Balmerans are giant rock people, looking like mountains compared to the other species. While they have a large and tough appearance, the Balmerans are the most gentle and sweetest of the four. While some see their behavior as a weakness, if anyone hurt their kingdom or their people, they will not show mercy on anyone. With their strength and their easy negotiation with others, they make incredible warriors._  
  
_The Olkari are an interesting species. No one knows for sure what their DNA origin could be, but some believe their part bug. They have pointy heads with what appears to be antennas on their faces. Because of these facts, the Olkari are heavily associated with nature, preferring not to heavily associate themselves with modern technology or magic. While some see this as a sign of weakness, the Olkari use this to improve their skills, making them oddly powerful._  
  
_While all four kingdoms are very peaceful, things can’t stay peaceful for long, even if you want it to._  
  
_Their olds ways were unfair ones. Alphas were considered powerful and important. Betas were the common people, nothing to special about them, but not useless. Omegas, on the other hand... they were seen as objects by Alphas. Some were beat, abused daily. Some were in Omega trafficking, being sold like toys on a shelf. About a century ago, such rules were finally destroyed. After a meeting with the four kingdoms, they all agreed to put these ways to rest. Well, almost all of them._  
  
_While the Galra said they would put an end to their ways, they lied and didn’t do anything for the Omegas, and even Betas that soon became part of the trafficking. It wasn’t until mass amounts of protests broke out into the kingdom that King Zarkon finally enforced the new laws._  
  
_Even with these enforced laws, not all the laws were enforced and the king still allowed things such as trafficking, causing conflict between the kingdoms. They ended up on bad terms with the Alteans when Altean soldiers ended up rescuing enslaved Omegas in the Galra kingdom. This ended up making King Zarkon to start a war with the Altean kingdom._

 

(July 26th, 7:21pm…)

“King Zarkon, it is the only option we have left” said Haggar, King Zarkon’s adviser.

According to Haggar, she was a scientist who originally came from the Altea Kingdom. Her knowledge and studies was considered legendary and many Altean, Galra and other species alike, admired her work and encouraged her to continue her studies, but she chose to leave them behind, despite the people’s encouragement.

The Alteans had too much pressure on Haggar and set their expectations high when it came to her research. It got to a point where she would stay up for days doing research, her health horribly being affected, hair turning white as snow, her marks stretching as far down as to her lips. Despite this, her peers continued with putting pressure on her and adding all this weight she carried on her shoulders.

Until one day, she snapped, and she left the Altean kingdom for good. She stumbled upon the Galra kingdom in her travels, and when she begged for a job, they happily accepted her as their own. Amazed by the knowledge she had, she got a job in the castle and slowly made her way up to the King’s adviser.

Haggar had dark blue-violet skin with pure white hair that fell down her back. People were shocked at the fact that she was Altean, or at least part Altean, considering her skin color, but some believe that Haggar may be a half-breed. She had red altean marking that stretched down her cheeks and she had stunning golden eyes, but today they looked clouded with concern and nervousness. She wore a small black hood that attached to a lovely Galra-styled outfit

“I know,” Zarkon sighed, sinking into his throne, “But I do not like it.”

“My King, we have to.” Haggar gave him a worried look, “At this rate, there is no way we will be able to win this war. For the good of the kingdom, we must make peace.”

Zarkon sighed, his eyes trailing away, “I wish we could, but I don’t want to…”

Life for the Galra have not been going well for the last few centuries. After disagreements with the well known humanoid species, Alteans, conflict arose like a flock of birds taking flight. The Alteans had a firm belief about everyone being their own person, that it doesn’t matter if they’re an Alpha, Beta, or an Omega. Zarkon found this absurd, and, with a variety of other disagreements mixed into the bowl, war ended up being their dish they both served.

Alteans were sneaky, light on their feat. With their chameleon-like ability to blend in, they made excellent spies and long distant attackers, most of their best combatants being archers. Meanwhile, the Galra were like giant walls of steel. They were tough, and muscular beings that were great and direct hand-to-hand combat. With their feline DNA, they were also exceptional at dodging attacks or sending one coming. With advantages comes some disadvantages. For the Alteans, it was their lack of an extremely strong, psychical phasic. For the Galra, despite their feline DNA, they were slow, and took time to react to an attack or sudden event.

The Galra believed that they would win the war. They were much stronger than the Alteans, at least physically they were. Strategically and technology wise, not so much. The Alteans took careful time planning out every move, and even had backup plans in case something happened. Their seemingly unpredictable attack pattern, if you can even call it a pattern, as well as their technology, was what ended up helping them pumble he galra out like they were clay.

“What else could we even do?” Asked Haggar, turning her head to Zarkon, “Even with all of our allies combined, they won’t be able to give us the support we need to win. The Alteans are completely unpredictable with their attacks, and each one is efficient, tpp. We need to give them something, a peace offering, perhaps.”

Zarkon turned away nervously, a look of guilt and worry taking over his features. Haggar knew something bad was on his mind, an idea he didn’t like and didn’t want to go through with. Haggar felt clueless as to what the king was intending, hoping it wasn’t what she thought it was.

Under normal circumstances, Zarkon would be fine with giving something to the Alteans. Both kingdoms were strong races and could do amazing if allied together. With the Galra’s brute strength and the Alteams strategic planning, they’d be unstoppable in any fight they come across together. However, the Galra kingdom has been torn down bad with the war. Some of their bets men killed, and the ones that live too injured, or even living with stumps. In the situation they are in, the Alteans left them weaker than they ever were before.

“Are you sure?” Zarkon looked at her with concern.

“It is our only choice.” Haggar glanced at him, “The Alteans are powerful and highly advanced. If we continue to be at war with them, we will surely fall.”

“They are a highly successful kingdom.” Zarkon placed his fingertips against his chin, “It would be helpful, saving this kingdom, but there is not much we could provide them.” He sighed, “I will have to discuss this with the officials, but perhaps an alliance could be arranged.”

Haggar looked her king dead in the eye, a serious look on her face. “On the topic of that, I was thinking… perhaps…”

“What is it?” Zarkon gave her a worried look, “What is this idea of yours?”

Haggar’s face scrunched up, not from anger, but from sadness and anxiety, almost like she didn’t want to say the words that were about to come out of her mouth, which she didn’t. She knew it was a dumb idea and she knew it would most likely not work, but it was the only option. Haggar knew better than to try and recover from the war by themselves.

“The Altean king…” She didn’t look at Zarkon, just staring at her feet, “His son is an Alpha, and the next heir… perhaps we could…”

Zarkon didn’t even need her finish to know what she was saying. He stared at her in shock, surprised she would even make such a suggestion. It must’ve taken a lot for Haggar to say that, but why suggest it? While Zarkon didn’t really mind one bit, he knew how Haggar felt about… that. Why would she ever dare suggest such an idea?

“I shall arrange a meeting in the next few days, and we can discuss such details then. ” Haggar smiled. “I will inform you on details later once they are arranged.” she took a few steps back and bowed slightly, “I will be on my way.”

With a smile, Haggar left the room to arrange a meeting with the officials regarding the alliance with the Alteans. However, Zarkon stared off into the distance, hoping he didn’t have to take drastic measures in order to make peace with the Alteans. Offering such a thing would guarantee that they would make peace, but was the risk worth it? He knew how much this meant to Haggar, and to just give it away…

Was it even worth it?

Maybe...

-

(July 29th, 8:19am…)

Lance grumbled lightly as he heard a loud knocking on his bedroom door. He shuffled lightly in his large king sized bed before we woke up. His vision was blurry for a moment, like someone walking down the road without their glasses on, but his eyes quickly adjusted to the light that suddenly illuminated the bedroom.

Blinking several times, Lance sat up and stretched his arms up over his head with a loud groan. As he stretched the rest of his limbs, wincing whenever something popped, Lance finally decided to take a look around his large bedroom.

His bedroom was large and filled with luxurious items, but the interior and size was no different than the other bedrooms, maybe just a little bigger, if not the same size. He had a large king sized bed that was decorated with beautiful white sheats. His room had lovely furniture scattered around the area, as well as some person items like photographs or old stuffed toys he had as a child.

Lance was considered gorgeous, at least in Altean culture. He had short, white hair with tan caramel skin and blue Altean marks under eyes with a familiar ocean blue color. Since Lance was an Alpha, he was naturally fairly tall and had more muscle than most, but he was surprisingly lanky, his limbs containing little to no fat that can’t be noticed right away.

Not only being the prince, but also an alpha, Lance was treated with high respect. He never liked how the betas and others who worked at the castle basically bowed down before him whenever he walked by. Of course, being the king’s son, they treated his respectfully before, but ever since he presented as an Alpha, they were practically getting on their hands and knees like a slave before Lance even walked into the room.

His father, King Alfor, was overjoyed when he found out his son was an Alpha. With his older sister, Allura, being a beta, she was unable to rule the kingdom, based off their culture and the culture of all known kingdoms, so they had little options in her circumstances. But since Lance is an Alpha, he was at least able to rule the kingdom.

They have yet to make any kinds of arrangements for Lance to mate with someone, and Lance was okay with that. The last thing we wanted was for his father to arrange him with some random Altean omega of high social standing. His father was in fine fit and with his health and age, would be able to rule for at least another decade, if not longer. The last thing they needed to worry about was producing an heir by someone who wasn’t even the king yet.

As Lance looked over at his smartphone to check the time, which was a little past eight in the morning, that same loud, obnoxious knocking he heard before ringed in his ears, interrupting Lance’s thoughts. He looked over at the door, where the knocking continued, but the door was closed so the source of the sound was unknown.

At least, not until a familiar voice rang from the other side of the door.

“Lance! Wake up you overgrown baby!” A slightly high pitched voice cried.

“Pidge, calm down.” A softer voice joined in.

Lance grinned and hopped out of bed when he heard the familiar voices. If it were anyone else waking him up at this hour, Lance would’ve most likely went back to sleeping like a baby. Lance has slept through worse things than the loud knocking from this annoying little gremlin.

He casually waltz over to the door, the young prince wearing nothing but an old t-shirt that was nearly too big for him and some boxers, and casually let the door slide open.

There, standing in front of the door, were Pidge and Hunk, Lance’s best friends he’s known since basically forever, at least since they were little, that is.

Pidge and Hunk has been his friends since they were babies. Their parents worked for Alfor, so they were often brought over to play with Lance with Alfor permission. Once they become older, Hunk and Pidge both got jobs into the castle. Hunk got a job as one of the many chefs who mostly cooked for parties and other special events like birthdays. Pidge was just a servant who mostly just cleaned, but wished to work with the science and technology within the castle, and is working hard to get to that point.

Hunk was a beta that had dark skin and dark yellow hair. It appeared almost completely brown, but the very faint yellow hues were obvious if you looked at it closely. He had bright yellow altean marks and bright brown eyes. He wore a long sleeved white tunic with white pants that had dark golden highlights along the sides and middle.

Pidge’s hair was a light brown color that was completely identical to her mother's and her brother’s hair. She had pale skin and green altean markings and bright brown eyes hidden behind her round glasses that once belonged to her brother before he got some new ones. She wore a short sleeve black and white shirt with dark pants and long boots. Like Hunk, she was also a beta.

When they saw Lance’s head pop out of his room, they both grinned and made their way over to Lance’s door without even a second thought or comment coming to mind,

“Morning sir Lancelot,” Pidge rolled her eyes.

“Come on,” Hunk nudged her arm, “You know Lance hates it when we called him by his full name.”

“Why did you think I called him that?” Pidge smirked. As usual, Pidge was being the little brat she was.

“Morning to you too, Pidgeon.” Lance let out a laugh.

“Ugh, I hope you rested well,” Hunk groaned, “I was barely able to get a wink of sleep after that announcement your father made.”

“The one about the Galra wanting to make peace with us?” Pidge asked.

Lance raised his eyebrows about the mention of the announcement. A few days ago, his father, King Alfor made an announcement to those in the castle about the Galra wanting to make a potentially peace offering. They have yet to discuss what the offering was, but everyone has still been on edge about finally being able to end the war with the Galra that have lasted since before Lance was even born.

Alfor said by today they most likely would be able to come to an agreement on what the offering would be. Lance wanted to attend the meeting, but his father dismissed the idea, saying it was just going to be him, King Zarkon and their respective officials. He also said to wait before telling anyone outside the castle about it, as they’ve yet to hold the meeting and want to wait until afterwards to announce it.

“What do you think this peace offering is going to be?” Pidge asked as she casually walked past Lance into his room.

This wasn’t the first time they’ve been in his room, at least in the current state Lance was in right. It’s a really casual thing now. They’ve all known each other for as long as time itself has existed, so such private things like their bedroom or hanging around in their underwear didn’t bother them at all (a slight acception for Pidge, however).

“I don’t know.” Hunk shrugged as he and Lance followed. “Didn’t they say that the Galra were losing? Plus we already have so much, I don’t know what they could possibly offer to the king.”

Lance walked over to his wardrobe and opened it up with a simple pull of the front doors. The wardrobe displayed the variety of clothing the young Altean Prince had. Tunics, formal wear, casual clothes, pajamas. You name it, it’s probably there.

“Who knows,” Lance blinked a few times, “We don’t know what or how much they could potentially offer us if they wish to make a peace offering.”

“I bet they’ll give us food.” Hunk grinned. They knew he was joking aroud, but still.

“Well, considering this is an offering that the king of the Galra is giving to end the war that has lasted between us for decades, It has to be something good enough for King Alfor’s liking.” Pidge adjusted her glasses.

“True.” Lance shrugged as he casually pulled out a bright blue and white top and black pants and began to change.

“Your father is already at the meeting.” Hunk sat on Lance’s bed with a nervous sigh. “I just hope this works out.”

“It’ll either be a peaceful meeting or an entire hellhole.” Lance replied as he slid his clothes on. “My father is overall pretty kind and understanding, but that king of theirs has a temper and may add another decade to this war if his offering isn’t good enough for him.”

“Let’s just hope that it is.” Pidge sighed, “This war has been going on for long enough… who knows what could happen…”

An awkward silence filled the room as Lance finished changing into his usual clothes. They all knew how important this meeting was, for both Alteans and Galras. It was a chance to finally end the war that has been plagued upon both kingdoms for many decades. If both kings could come to an agreement, then it would finally be over, at least they hoped.

“It’ll be okay, Pidge.” Lance assured the younger Altean, “Knowing father, he will be able to strike a deal with the Galra that they can’t possibly refuse.”

Lance wasn’t exaggerating. Alteans were known to be a very peaceful race, one that allies with many species across the universe. They already had many allies, so striking a deal with the Galra should be easy if they offer something good enough and if Alfor was accepting of the offering.

“I know,” Pidge looked away and smiled a little, “I’m sure it’ll turn out for the better…”

Knowing that look, Lance moved to face the shorter girl and gave her a small hug. He knew that this war has been hard on Pidge and her family, losing old friends and family, and he knew how much she wanted to see this tragic war end. Lance prayed that everything would go smoothly.

Joining in, Hunk walked over to the pair and gave Pidge’s hair a quick ruffle with his large hand, causing the small beta to giggle at how dorky her friends were being.

“Thanks guys…” Pidge shook her head and turned to Lance, wanting to change the subject, “So, do you have anything scheduled for today?”

“As far as I know, I don’t.” Lance shrugged, “Father wanted to keep me available for the day in case he needed me for the meeting. And he has yet to call me, so I’m free until something comes us.”

“In _that_ case…” Lance knew Pidge’s signature smug look anywhere, “Why don’t we, you know, like what we used to do when we were young?”

“Can’t we just go for a walk or something?” Hunk’s face was filled with worry, “I don’t want to get fired or anything. And Lance has covered for us way too many times.”

“Ugh!!” Pidge groaned and let herself flop down on Lance’s bed, “You’re no fun!”

“He’s not wrong.” Lance shrugged, “Besides, a walk doesn’t sound so bad. It looks nice out today.”

“Ugh, fine!” Pidge sat up, “But you both owe me!”

-

(7:45pm…)

King Alfor sat down at a large, but comfortable chair that sat at one of the ends of a fairly long table, with many normal, smaller chairs on the sides of the officials and another chair with an almost equal appearance on the other end of the table. On the left side of the table, a small number of Altean officials sat, all of them waiting patiently for the honored guests of this meeting to arrive.

Alfor wore his iconic white armor with yellow accents covering the magnificent material. A small yellow and bright blue metal held up a dark blue cloak that draped down his back. Alfor’s hair was a beautiful color of white tied back in a short, low ponytail and he had a grand beard that consumed his face.

Alfor was a strong and reliable alpha and was heavily respected when he was young. His father knew that Alfor would make a worthy leader when the time came. Ever since his father’s passing, he had proved time and time again that he was worthy of the burden of ruling a kingdom. When he was young, Alfor was put into an arranged marriage with a young female Altean, one who had physical traits similar to his. Not long after the arrangement, they were married and the women became pregnant with Allura.

The two did not hate each other, but they weren’t too fond of each other either. Not long after Allura was born, the two grew very close and eventually grew to love each other like any other couple. However, tragedy struck. A few days after Lance was born, the Queen grew very ill. Lance was born a happy, healthy baby, but the Queen was too sick and her life was tragically taken from them.

Lance was too young to remember their mother, but Allura suffered heavily from her death. For a while, she used to blame Lance for her mother’s death. Allura used to claim that if Lance was never born, then their mother wouldn’t have died. Allura was very young when their mother passed, around six years old. She was drowned by grief and the way she handled it was by blaming others, rather than accepting the truth. She was only a child, so the way she reacted made sense.

After Allura recovered, she became very close with her baby brother and everyone in the castle grew to adore Lance’s charming personality. Alfor found himself smiling softly at how excited Allura looked when Lance first learned to walk, how Alforks daughter nearly dragged him out of the office, claiming it was important, only to see his son taking a handful of steps before fumbling to the ground, a roar of giggling coming from him.

Alfor remembers how frustrated the nurses got when Lance seemed to refuse to eat vegetables, but would chow down on fruit like it a cake. He remembers how he and Allura made up some silly song and game to fooled Lance instantly, and he would always sing that song whenever he eated vegetables until he got older, and Alfr would still sometimes hear the boy hum the tune of it during dinner.

“My king, he is here,” Coran, Alfor’s advisor, who sat next to him, snapped the king out of his thoughts.

Alfor looked up and noticed their newest guests. King Zarkon, the king of the Galra, was the center of attention by all. with a few knights standing behind him tp gaurd him and with a variety of other Galra officials standing behind him.

Zarkon was an headstrong Galra Alpha. While he wasn’t a full breed, part Galra and a part of another species Alfor doesn’t know, he proved to be a great leader. He had light grey-purple skin with pointy ears and dark scale-like material that went down to the male of his neck to the tip of his nose. His eyes were a dark purple shade surrounded in a bright yellow and he had thick, slightly crooked eyebrows. The king was a very tall and strong alpha, definitely not one to mess with.

He wore a large, tough helmet and other accessories. He had a long, dark cloak that covered her shoulders and a dark armor with lighter red accents. Zarkon looked as intimidating as people described him as. He definitely lived up to the reputation he had built on himself. .

“King Zarkon.” Alfor greeted him, “Welcome.”

“Thank you,” Zarkon bowed slightly as he took his seat, his two knights standing behind him and the rest of the officials taking their respective seat on the empty side of the table. “I must thank you for accepting this meeting, especially after all this war we have had together.”

“Well, I hate to get straight to business, but I wish not waste a tick of your or my time.” Alfor placed his hands gently onto his lap, “You said you wanted to make a peace offering, correct? Something to give to us in hopes to end the war?”

Zarkon nodded, “I think it be wise to finally end this war. I did not want to wait for you to make peace, so I wanted to take action myself.”

“Ah, of course,” Alfor sat up more, eyeing the Galran King. “What is it that you wish to offer?”

Zarkon let out a long sigh, bracing himself. “This is something I have kept hidden from everyone, including my own people.” The king pulled out a photograph and handed it to the closest official so they could give it to Alfor.

The Altean king picked up the picture and eyed it curiously. It was a picture of Zarkon with a young man who looked strangely different to the others in the photo. His skin was a lighter shade of purple with big fluffy ears on the side of his head. The boy had two markings on his cheeks that stretched down behind his neck, almost looking like scars. His hair was a dark purple, almost black, but the tips of his hair faded midway down into a magenta color. An interesting trait.

The other boy that stood to Zarkon’s other side was Lotor, a Galra Alfor was no stranger to. Everyone knew about the fierce Galra prince. He was known as a intense fighter on the battlefield, taking down anyone who stood in his path. Lotor had pale purple skin, and eyes identical to his father’s, but the one feature that stood out was his long, bright white hair. Rumors have been going around about who the mother of Lotor was, but Zarkon has yet to make any comment to anyone about who it is.

“Is it too bold of me to assume this young man is your son?” Alfor placed the photo on the table in front of him, pointing to the other boy.

Zarkon let out a small chuckle, “Yes, he is my son, Yorak, but he is most known as Keith by us at the castle.” He turned serious again, “However, _he_ isn’t what I’m hiding from my kingdom.”

Alfor gave him a questionable look as Zarkon continued. “Keith is an omega.”

“Omega…” Alfor whispered. The king knew exactly how rare is was for an omega in the royal line to be born, for both Galra, Alteans and other kingdoms around. Whenever an Omega is born, it is considered the kingdom’s most precious treasure. Hell, losing the kingdom’s crown would be less problematic to them than losing the Omega.

“In order to protect him, I told my kingdom that he was a beta and they believed me.” Zarkon looked away, looking very stressed, “Only the people in the castle and those in this room know the truth.”

“I see why you kept the truth hidden.” Alfor folded his hands onto the table, “He is considered a very gorgeous and prized Omega, no offense intended. Plus he is a prince, so if someone wanted him badly enough, he could be put in danger if such information was let out.”

“Yes,” he nodded, “He is still fairly young, about the same age as your own son, so I have yet to find an Alpha for him. And from what I know, your son has yet to find an omega.”

“However, my search for an alpha, depending on your answer, may be over.” Zarkon sat up straighter.

“What are you saying…?” King Alfor blinked at him.

Zarkon looked Alfor dead in the eye, a serious look on his face. “Since my older son is an Alpha, he will be able to take over, so I am willing to offer my son to yours.”

“Are you serious?” Alfor eyes widen.

“Yes.” He stared at him, “I will offer my son to your own. A royal marriage. It’s a win-win. My son will be able to get an Alpha to protect and care for him, and you will be able to produce an heir for your kingdom.”

“That is true…” Alfor muttered, “Lance has yet to choose an omega to take as his mate…”

“See?” Zarkon smirked, “With this, your son will be able to mate with my son and produce the heir you’ve long desired. That, and my son will be able to be protected by a strong Alpha. And it’s not like my son doesn’t have any value. He is considered a rarity amongst omegas, and he is already quite gorgeous, if i may be so bold.”

“What you say is true, yes.” Alfor paused for a moment.

“So, what do you say?” Zarkon gestures his hand towards Alfor, “Shall you accept my offering?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! Yay! (Decided to publish chapter 1 and 2 on day 1)

_“Will you just drop this?” Lance asked._

_“I will drop it when you make a choice.” Alfor shot back._

_Lance flopped back on the large couch in the sitting room, an angry look on his face, “I’ve told you several times that I’m not doing this.”_

_“Can’t you just look at the files?” Alfor let out a long sigh._

_“I’m not looking at anything,” Lance sat up a bit, “Because in the end, you’ll get the same answer.”_

_“All of these young Omegas have the perfect background and skills.” Alfor leaned forward slightly on the loveseat he sat on, “No matter which one you pick, they’ll make the perfect mate for you.”_

_“I told you, father,” Lance let out an exhausted sigh, “I don’t want just some random Omega you picked out."_

_“Do you expect me to allow you to live without a mate for the rest of your life?” Alfor’s voice raised slightly._

_Lance groaned, “No, father, you don’t—”_

_“Understand?” Alfor finished Lance’s sentence, “Lance, I’m not getting any younger here! Soon you’ll have to take over and make sure an heir is produced.”_

_“I’m only sixteen, father!” Lance stood up, glaring at the Altean, “I don’t need to have a mate right now! What if I meet someone that I truly care about later? Even if I don’t, you’ll rule this kingdom for at least a few more decades, so producing an heir to take over for me isn’t something we should worry about!”_

_“Why won’t you just pick one?!” Alfor nearly growled, now yelling at his son, “I had to go through the exact same thing.”_

_“Because I’m not going to be able to develop a real bond with these little shits!” Lance moved his hand to swipe the files off of the coffee table, causing them to fly everywhere and even some of the papers to slip out, “I’m not going to mate with someone just so that it satisfies you!”_

_Alfor stood up and towered over Lance. Even if Lance was starting to get closer to Alfor’s height, it still scared Lance, “We will discuss this later…”_

_“We will discuss this when you learn to stop controlling every aspect of my life.”_

_Alfor didn’t respond to Lance’s comment, and found himself sighing before he walked past Lance and slammed the large door behind him, leaving Lance glaring at the door with a mess of files on the floor._

_-_

(July 30th, 9:53am…)

“Congratulations, Lance!” Allura forcefully hugged Lance from behind as he finished up changing into his usual blue and white top and black pants in his room, now looking up from his phone when his sister suddenly came into his room.

Congratulations? For what? As far as Lance knew, he didn’t really do anything. He’s just been doing what he usually does, attending to his royal duties, taking those dumb classes with Coran, while occasionally sneaking out with Hunk and Pidge. What did he do?

Allura was Lance’s older sister. She may be shorter, but she was just as feisty and cheerful as Lance was. She had long white hair and dark skin, with pink Altean markings decorating her cheeks. Her eyes were a stunning bright blue, very similar to Lance’s own. She wore the same light blue and white dress she always wore, kind of like Lance’s own formal wear, except Allura almost always wore that dress.

Lance managed to escape from his sister’s grasp and turned to face her. What happened that Lance deserves such praise and congratulations? He hasn’t done anything revolutionary or gained anything that could benefit him. So what was his sister going on about?

Allura gave him a confused and worried look, “Lance?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Lance blinked at her. “What happened?”

Allura’s face scrunched up for a moment and then she let out a loud laugh, causing Lance to become more confused then he already was. The Altean princess politely covered her mouth with one hand and wiped away a small tear with the other that threaten to fall.

“Come on, Lance, joke’s over.” Allura pat Lance’s back with a giggle. “You’re being silly.”

“ _I’m_ being silly?” Lance raised his voice a bit, and then moved so that he was standing right in front of Allura, “What the hell are you talking about? Why are you congratulating me? Nothing has happened.”

Allura blinked a few times and then her eyes were wide and eyebrows raised. It wasn’t from fear, but rather shock. The Beta must know something that Lance doesn’t, some kind of news that relates to Lance that somehow never for relayed to him, but his sister knows somehow. If such news was related to Lance, wouldn’t Lance be the first to know?

“Oh…” She blinked at him, “Father has not told you yet. That's a surprise.”

“Told me what?” Lance looked at her, “Allura, what is going on?”

Allura suddenly grabbed Lance’s hand and dragged him out of the room. Lance tried to fight against her grasp, but he simply sighed and allowed himself to be dragged by his sister. With a small shove, the princess somehow got Lance into the hallway. Lance turned around to look at Allura, who just grinned with her blue eyes filled with joy and happiness.

“Go on now!” She shooed Lance away, “It be best if father told you. He should be in the throne room!”

Lance gave his sister one last look before he set off to find his father. His room was much deeper into the castle than the throne room was, so it would take a moment for him to reach the throne room. In the meantime, Lance figured he could try and speculate _exactly_ what was going on.

Obviously, whatever happened must be good for him, at least Lance hopes so. Since Lance isn’t that involved in any of the work done around the castle, other than occasionally observing and checking in on researchers, it can’t involve anything scientific. So what happened? What happened that apparently was worth congratulating him about?

All Lance really does is help his father with some of his work every now and then. Since Allura was a Beta and was not fit to rule, all the responsibility of being future king was thrown on Lance. After Lance presented as Alpha three years ago, his father was overjoyed and made sure Lance took plenty of classes with private tutors in order to prepare him.

He was only eighteen and his father was still fairly young, so he wouldn’t be taking over any time soon. Lance still takes classes today about how to rule, but he should be finished with those sometime soon. The classes consisted of teaching him how he should behave, how meetings are held, you know, that stuff. They were very boring and Lance has caught himself falling asleep in them many times in the past.

Maybe he was finished with his classes? And it was a celebration for completing them? No way. His father claimed in the past he has so much more to learn than he knows now. At this rate, he’d still be taking those classes by the time he became king. Then what could it be? Lance was simply running out of potential options. Unless something else happened, something that didn’t involve Lance input, then the young prince was perplexed on what this supposed “good news” really was.

Lance didn’t even realize he was in throne room already when he heard a guard greet him. The prince gave them a quick reply, and went to find his father.

The man wasn’t hard to spot in a crowd. Every feature, from his grand clothing, to his stunning white hair that stood out against his dark skin, made the king stand out in his own way. Other than that, he was the king. You’d be a fool if you didn’t recognize the man from a mile away.

The king was sitting down on his large throne, doing some kind of work with some papers. His white hair was tied back into a low bun, and his Altean marks began to travel further down his cheeks due to age. The king seemed very tired and never wanted anyone to disturb him while he was at work.

However, his entire mood seemed to shift when he heard his son call out to him.

“Father…” Lance slowly approached Alfor’s throne.

The king looked up, looking slightly annoyed, but when he realized it was his son calling him, the man grinned. “Lance, my boy!” The king happily put the papers down on the throne and made his way over to his son, looking happier than he has in years.

Alfor wrapped his arm around Lance’s shoulder, his hand grasped on the shorter boy’s shoulder. Lance blinked for a few moments. Who was this man and what did he do to his father? Alfor was never cheerful, at least not this cheerful. Whatever happened must be something good.

“I have wonderful news for you!” Alfor used his free hand to encourage Lance to start moving, “Come, let us take a walk in the gardens. This shall be very good for you!”

Lance was confused by his father’s actions and rather enthusiastic mood, but chose to keep his thoughts to himself as Alfor lead his son to the gardens that made its home in the back side of the castle.

The garden was truly beautiful. It had bright walkways that guided them around to different plants that decorated the area. A long walkway was displayed before them with small arches that loomed over short concrete walls that one could easily sit on. The ends were decorated with paths that lead one to different areas of the garden. The end of the path lead to a large pond with a gazebo that overlooked the magnificent water.

Alfor lead Lance to the first path that caught his eye. It lead to an area that was surrounded with bushes and trees that easily provided shade for those who wondered around them. Lovely flowers native to Altea were also scattered around the area that was covered in dirt.

“Why did you bring me here, father?” Lance looked up at Alfor has the king stopped under the shade of a giant tree, “And what is this ‘good news’ that Allura spoke of? And why does she know me? If this relates to me, I feel like I should--”

“One question at a time, my boy.” Alfor chuckled a little, “Your sister finding out was a bit of an accident. And the reason I brought you here is because I wanted to tell you the news myself without any prying eyes. The employees love to gossip, you know.”

“Okay…” Lance gave him a confused look, “Well, what’s the good news?”

“We were able to negotiate with the Galran King and we accepted his peace offering!” Alfor announced happily.

Lance grinned. They were able to make peace with the Galra? That was wonderful news! Decades of war were finally going to be coming to an end at long last! Even if Lance was excited that they negotiated peace… how does any of this relate to him?

“This is wonderful!” Lance truly felt happy, “But why does this affect me? How does making peace with the Galra have anything to do with me? I wasn’t even at the meeting.”

“And that, my son, is what the good news is about.” Alfor placed a hand on Lance’s back, “The peace offering King Zarkon made was, well…” he was quiet, “His son.”

Lance just stood there, dumbfounded. His son? Why? He knew that King Zarkon had two children, but why would he willingly just give them one of his children just to make peace? Was the king of the Galra really that desperate to end this war? And why one of his sons of all things? What could the Altean kingdom possibly benefit by being responsible for the care of one of the Galra princes?

“I don’t get it…” Lance stared up at Alfor, “Why would he give up his own son just for peace?”

“It's much more than you think,” Alfor grinned, “You know how I have been trying to pair you with an Omega for a while now?”

Lance groaned a little. Oh, he was completely aware. Almost every month, his father would gather up some of the most beautiful Omegas with high social standings and try to get Lance to pick one he likes best. He doesn’t understand why his father was so keen on him getting an Omega at such a young age.

Well, Lance knew that Alfor wanted an heir, but he was still king, and would be for quite some time, so Lance didn’t know why he wanted him to have a child at such an age. He was only eighteen and his father was still king. If Lance had a kid now, the child would be much older than he before they even become ruler, and there was to still consider if the child would end up being an Alpha.

“Yes, I know,” Lance groaned and looked away, “And time and time again, I tell you I don’t need to bond with an Omega now. I find it silly that you are so persistent on me getting married and having a child at such an age. People sometimes disgrace their children for having a child at my age.”

“You know I am not getting any younger, Lance.” Alfor sighed, “But that is not the point. The point is: is that King Zarkon’s youngest son is an Omega.”

Lance’s eyes widen slightly. An Omega? Born in the royal line? If there was one thing Lance knew, it was that it was very rare for an Omega to be born in the royal line, regardless of whether they were Altean, Galra, or one of the other two species. Lance doesn’t even know the last time an Omega was born in the Altean royal line. Hundreds of years, maybe?

“Are you serious?” Lance stared at Alfor.

“Of course.” Alfor replied. “He appeared to be aware that I have been looking for an Omega for you. So… King Zarkon had offered him.”

What…No… he can’t be serious… no way! He must be bluffing, or trying to prank Lance. The mighty King Zarkon that Lance has heard countless brutal stories about wouldn’t do something so ridiculously stupid, and Alfor wouldn’t accept such stupidity! But his father never jokes around like that, not like Lance. So that can only mean…

“You can’t be serious.” Lance stared down at the floor.

“Lance, come on,” Alfor tried to place a supporting hand on Lance’s shoulder, but Lance jerked away and turned to face his father.

“I won’t believe you!” Lance’s eyes burned with rage. He should’ve seen this coming sooner or later, “Not until you tell me directly.”

Alfor looked away for a minute, his eyes clouded with worry. Was he hav7ng doubts? Lance’s own doubts soon disappeared when Alfor turned to Lance, looked him right in the eyes and said: “You shall be married to Keith, of the Galra kingdom, and, when ready, the two of you shall have a child.”

Lance’s breaths became short and he began to shake violently. No way… is he serious? He knew his father wanted him to have a child, but he always made sure that he had a choice on who he wished to mate with. Was the luxury of at least meeting your future mate and husband only a luxury that the common people could have? Was choosing who you wanted to be married to something common people could do?? Alfor was always willing, but he is now arranging some marriage some guy he’s never met?

Was Alfor willing to got that far?

Before he knew it, Lance’s eyebrows began to furrow and tears began to stream down his eyes, staining his brown cheeks. His large hands began to curl into two fists and his teeth began to grit together like two stones that were being grinded together.

“No… no way…” Lance murmured, before raising his voice, and slamming his fist down angrily into nothing, “Absolutely not! I am _not_ becoming mates with some fucking purple _snob_!”

Alfor looked down at Lance, his patience slowly leaving his body, “Lance, this marriage could end this long-term war once and for all. Do you not want peace?”

“Of course I want peace,” Lance’s face soften, and his voice became hushed, “But you always said that you wanted me to choose who I mate with… you always said you didn’t want me to get forced into a marriage like you and mother did…” Once again, anger took over Lance, “But now you are forcing me into a marriage with someone I have never met?!”

“It is for the good of our people,” Alfor’s face remained expressionless, “And for the good of you.”

“THAT IS _NOT_ A WORTHY EXCUSE!” Lance’s throat began to hurt from how loud he was shouting, “ _You_ said that you wanted me to be with who _I chose_ ! _You_ said that you wanted me to be with someone who made me _happy_ ! Do you think _he_ is going to make me _happy_? Some spoiled brat I have never even met?!”

“Lance, you are thinking irrationally.” Alfor tried to reason with Lance, but nay.

“You think _I’m_ thinking irrationally?!” Lance screamed. He didn’t care who heard. He was so clouded with anger and sadness that he didn’t know what else to do. “You just paired me with someone because _you_ felt satisfied by it! Not me! Did you even fucking think about how _I_ would feel about this?! No! Because you’re just being the selfish prick you—”

“ENOUGH!” Alfor’s sudden shouting caused Lance to flinch and end his rant, “I gave you a choice! I let you choose who you wanted to be with! But your spoiled ass decided to not to do anything! Zarkon gave me the chance to not only end this war, but to give you an mate! You think I wasn’t thinking about you and my people when I made that choice?!”

“Father--”

“Not another word!” Alfor shouted, “You shall be married with Prince Keith, and the two of you shall produce an heir for our kingdom! Is that clear, Lance?!”

Lance just stared at his father, horrified by his anger and demanding voice. Defeated, Lance hung his head down, thousands of tears beng released from Lance’s eyes as he muttered: “Yes, father.”

-

(July 30th, 1:48pm…)

Keith sighed slowly as he tried to get comfortable in his large bed. He never liked the material of his sheets. They always made his skin hurt whenever he wrapped himself up in them and always woke up sweating, regardless of how warm or cold the room was. Keith decided not to complain and just dealt with it like he always does.

The young Prince’s room had bare, dark grey walls and a shiny brown floor that had a large red carpets around his bed. He didn’t have much in his room. He had the usually stuff, a bed, dresser, and he even had a desk that Haggar had given him for his birthday a few years ago. He even had bright red curtains for his window that overlooked a large field that sat next to the castle.

Everyone in the castle always smiled and greeted him warmly. He didn’t have much to do so he had a lot of free time. However, those weren’t the problem. It was the fact that he was an Omega. He kept it hidden for a while, knowing exactly what would happen if he did. But his father, King Zarkon, and an Alpha, could tell he was hiding and quite literally forced him to tell him he was an Omega.

That was two years ago, and in that moment, everything in Keith’s life began to change right before his eyes.

It started with Keith’s freewill. Since his older brother, Lotor, was an Alpha and the older child, he would rightfully take over as King. Because of this, Keith had a lot of free time and almost never had to do any kind of work. With that, Keith would often train with the Galra soldiers and began to enjoy fighting. He even found himself traveling out beyond the castle and the town outside it to see what else was out there. His father never cared.

Keith would sometimes hear the soldiers talking about different monsters that they had to take down, and Keith often found himself going with them or killing the monster himself if it was a weak one. Again, his father or the soldiers didn’t care. If anything, they found his bravery and skill admirable. He had been doing it since he was little and enjoyed it.

But when he presented, it all changed.

Keith had heard that they were sending soldiers to take care of a few monsters that was attacking people just outside the city. He was ecstatic of the idea of taking down another beast, and went to the training grounds to get prepared and alert everyone that he was going with them. When Keith got there, everyone was surprised to see him. Some just stared at him with wide eyes while others began to whisper amongst themselves. At the time, Keith just shrugged and made his way to the general of the patrol that would take out the monster.

When he told the soldier he would be joining them, the Galra stared at him and began to laugh. _Hard_ . Everyone else did too. When Keith asked why he was laughing the general just said “ _Are you insane? You’re an Omega! An Omega born in the royal line if that! You can’t come with us! You’re too rare and fragile! The king would have our heads if we let you come!”_

Keith was very annoyed that he couldn’t go with them just because he was an Omega. But he didn’t let it bother him too much. Even if the guards hid away and guarded the weapons from Keith, he could still go out. The Galra prince found himself just enjoying walks in the town or even around the fields, so at least he could do that.

Oh boy he was _wrong_.

One morning he began to head out the front gates, deciding to take a walk on the paths that roamed the fields outfit of town, but he was stopped by someone. That someone was, strangely, his father, King Zarkon.

He looked strangely different to his father and brother. He always wondered why that was the case. He didn’t know anything about his mother, considering how she magically disappeared not long after Keith was born. Right before he got to the door, his father asked him where he was going, he gave him an honest answer. Just like the soldiers, he just laughed.

_“You cannot go out there!” He had laughed, “Not without an Alpha.”_

_“I have been able to go out before without no problem. And without a guide” Keith had replied calmly, “Why is it such a problem now?”_

_“Are you serious?” Zarkon looked at him, “You are an Omega. Not only that, but you are the first Omega born in the royal line in centuries! You can’t just go out there. You could get hurt, or raped! Or even worse!”_

_“Fine then, I can just have Shiro come with me.”_

Shiro became friends with Keith at a young age and the two of them had been very close since. He was a strong, admirable soldier and even an almost full blooded Galra. His fur was a light shade of purple and his dark black hair had a thick layer of white. One thing that made him stand out was his lack of most of his right arm he lost in a battle and somehow survived. Despite his injuries, Shiro kept fighting, even becoming general about a year ago. Shiro was the one who taught Keith a lot of the fighting he knew how to do today.

_As keith began to make his leave to find Shiro, Zarkon gripped his shoulder tightly, stopping the boy from moving._

_“Keith, when I said you can’t go out there, I mean you can’t go out there. Not even with Shiro or anyone else.”_

_“You can’t be serious.” Keith had stared at him._

_“I am. You are not to leave this castle, not for anything. All of the guards and soldiers know, and extra guards are already put around your room, so don’t even try to escape.”_

Slowly, Keith’s old life began to fade away before his very eyes. By the end of the month since he presented, he basically didn’t even have a _life_. All he was allowed to do was eat in the dining hall with his mother and brother, and then stay in his room. Because of this, Keith began to pick up a few new hobbies. He often caught himself browsing the books their insane Library held and ended up reading a variety of books. From fiction to nonfiction. Keith enjoyed the books he read, so he spent most of his days reading since they kept him busy.

At one point, Keith found some old paints and ink brushes and brought them to his room. He looked over at the lovely view his room had, and began to paint the various trees, fields and mountains he could see from his windows. Painting was a lot more fun than reading, but it was definitely harder.

And that became Keith’s life, and its been like that for three years. He would eat three meals a day with his father and brother, read, and paint. It wasn’t the most loveable life, but it was his. Aside from that, the way people treated him changed too.

They looked and treated Keith as though he was a delicate artifact. They spoke to him gently and carefully, and always tried to make sure he was pleased and well-cared for. It was so fucking annoying that Keith could barely bottle his anger up.

One time he raised his voice at a maid who got a book wet that he was reading, and she literally starting crying. She kept constantly apologizing, even though Keith wasn’t even too angry with her. The guards too, treated him like he was a piece of glass. A lot of the soldiers were Alphas, so Keith liked to blame their behavior on instinct to please and care for an Omega. They always checked up on him and made sure he was safe and comfortable. It was annoying, but again, he managed.

It has been like that for three years and it took a while for Keith to just accept his new life, but Keith has been able to mostly manage.

Today, Keith didn’t feel like reading or painting, so he just laid in his bed, his back facing his room and his eyes focused on the wall his regal bed was pushed up against. The dark covers were resting gently on his shoulders and warming his body.

Late last night, Zarkon left to attend a meeting with the Alteans and offering them some kind of peace offering, so Keith and Lotor ate alone this morning. Keith was never told what this “peace offering” even was. He was never told anything about arrangements like that. His older brother, Lotor, was the one who would take over, so he knew everything.

It was mid-afternoon now, so his father should be back any moment now. Keith hoped it went well. He may not be directly involved, but Keith knew how badly this war was affecting them. Keith knew that the Alteans had more people and weapons then they did, so if the war continued, then they would surely fall.

Since Keith was born as the war was going on, he didn’t know much about it and he never asked in the past. Now that he was an Omega, no one would dare say a word about what caused it and exactly how long its been going on, so Keith knew nothing besides the fact that a war is going on.

Speaking of, what was his father’s offering the Alteans? More soldiers? Weapons? _Anything_? Again, Keith didn’t know much about what they could offer considering they never tell him this shit. Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if they never told him.

Keith’s thoughts were interrupted with he heard a knocking on his large bedroom door and a familiar voice, “Keith? Can I come in?”

 _Shiro_?

“Come in.” He said blankly as he sat up to face the door, the blankets wrapped his shoulders.

When Shiro walked in, Keith noticed that he abandoned his uniform for a black tunic and pants. The Alpha before him was muscular and tall, standing out immensely. Keith will admit, he knew Shiro was attractive, but the two have known each other since he was a child. He was like a second older brother to Keith.

“You alright?” Shiro asked, closing the door and sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah, just tired…” Keith mumbled, his ears shooting down slightly, “So, to what do I owe this visit?” He said sarcastically.

Shiro rolled his eyes with a smile, but it quickly faded into worry. “Well, it's about the peace offering your father made to the Alteans.”

“Is everything okay?” Keith asked, “Did something happen?”

“No, no.” Shiro shot his hands up defensively, “It's actually about the peace offering… I just received word that… they’ve accepted it…”

“Not to sound cocky or anything, but I was expecting you to be a little more… I don’t know… _exciting_ about this?” Keith exclaimed. “You lost your damn arm because of this war! And now it is over!”

“True, but…” Shiro looked away, his eyes clouded with fear, “They didn’t tell you what the peace offering was, did they?”

“Shiro,” Keith looked at him, his ears shooting down in worry, “What is going on?”

The Alpha let out a long, deep sigh, and then he turned to Keith, “Well, as you know, since you are an Omega, regardless of whether or not you are first born, you are unable to rule?”

“What does this have to do with the peace offering?” Keith asked.

“Well…” Shiro hesitated for a moment, “Since Lotor is older _and_ an Alpha, he will rightfully take over. His majesty… he has been wanting to find you an Alpha, one that he knew would keep you safe…”

Keith just stared at Shiro, blinking a few times and unsure what to say. His mother was trying to pair him up with an Alpha? Behind his back?! She could’ve at the very least tell him she was looking into finding an Alpha for him! Or does she think he’s just too fragile to handle such information?

“What the fuck.” Keith glared at Shiro, “Has he gone mad?! I understand he wants to keep me safe but at the very least tell a bitch that you’re looking for their future mate!”

“I know, I tried to get him to tell you, but he just dodged the question or pretend I didn’t even say it.” Shiro sighed, “Stubborn one, he is… Anyways, since you’re an Omega and can’t rule, the king was… unsure of what to do, so he figured finding you an Alpha was the best option.”

“Again, Shiro, what does this have to do with the peace offering?” Keith asked once again.

“Well…” Shiro paused, “Recently, he had received information about the King Alfor’s younger son… about him being an Alpha…”

Keith froze. He wanted to say that what he’s thinking isn’t true, but judging from where the story is going… and the way Shiro looked absolutely destroyed… no…

“Please, don’t be what I think it is…” Keith whispered.

“I am so sorry, Keith,” Shiro looked him in the eyes, his bright eyes glossy, “But King Zarkon offered you to the king’s son to be his mate. And the king accepted it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, unlike every other fic I've ever written, I wrote this much sooner in advance, so for a while, regularly scheduled chapters will be uploaded. The chapter will also start to get longer since I started writing this back in April and have gotten better at writing since!
> 
> I most likely will upload them every friday and give myself a week to edit the chapter and write more!  
> Look for the next chapter this friday! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I really call this giving you the chapter early when it's like 9pm on Thursday? In the end, take it bleep

_ (14 years ago…) _

_ “Dad! Dad!” The cute little 4-year-old called out to Zarkon. _

_ He started up at the tall, large Galra who was sitting at his desk in his grand office. Zarkon had several different papers spread across the desk and he appeared to barely acknowledge the tiny Galra boy who was standing next to him, calling out to him. He glanced down at the boy before he sighed and missaged the space between his eyebrows after he removed the reading glasses that he didn’t even know why he needed.  _

_ Zarkon looked over at the boy before he turned back to the papers sitting on the desk, “What do you want, Keith?” _

_ “Can’t we play?” Keith tilted his head to the side, looking up at his father with big eyes. _

_ The man groaned, placing his hands down on his desk, “Keith, not now. Dad is very busy.” _

_ “But Lotor can’t play right now!” Cried Keith defensively, “Can’t you play with me instead? Pleaaaaseee!” _

_ “I said no.” _

_ “Dad, please--" _

_ “Keith,” Zarkon’s voice was more firm and harsh, “I don’t have time to play right now.” _

_ “But dad–” _

_ “Keith! Why won’t you listem?! I don’t have time for your stupid games! Go play in your room! Now!” _

_ Keith flinched at his father’s cruel tone and quickly ran out of his office towards his room, closing the door behind him. As Keith ran down the halls back towards his room, his pace began to slow down by the second. At one point, Keith started to walk, but even his walking pace began to slow down to the point where he was barely even moving, as though he we’re lost and he was trying to find his way back without getting more lost. _

_ Eventually, Keith stopped walking and he looked down at the elegant rug that laid on the hard floor. He clenched his teeth and grabbed onto his pants his his fists and his eyes began to water. His father was always so mean to him… why didn’t he want to play? And why was he so angry? He never gets mad when Lotor talks to him… why did he get mad at Keith? Did he really hate him? Was he mad at Keith? And if he was… than what did he do wrong? _

_ Keith could hear the sound of his father’s voice ringing in his ears. He sounded so mad at Keith… he didn’t understand what he did wrong… why was he mad? It wasn’t fair… _

_ The little Galra didn’t even hesitate to let the tears fall down his cheeks and soft cries echo in the hallways. Keith moved his hands up to rub at his eyes in attempt to wipe away the tears, but more quickly replaced them as his cries grew louder. It wasn’t fair! Father always wanted to play with Lotor now! Why didn’t he want to play with him? _

_ While Keith was busy crying, he didn’t even hear the sound of quiet shoes clicking against the rugs of the hallway as they followed the sound of the boy’s cries. For a moment, the footsteps were faint, and within an instant, they began quick, frantic steps that grew louder and louder. And then… a voice, it was a little coarse and raspy, but Keith knew that voice all too well. It was always kind and friendly whenever he heard it. _

_ “Keith! Keith, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” _

_ The sobbing child looked up and saw the familiar face of Haggar. Her usual cheerful expression was clouded with worry and concern as she crouched down to Keith’s level. Her white hair was slightly messy but she didn’t seem to mind and she grasped onto Keith’s tiny shoulders and looked down at him, doing what she could to calm the small child. _

_ “H-H-Haggar…” Tears continued to fall down Keith’s cheeks. _

_ “Oh, sweetpea…” Haggar raised a hand up to wipe Keith’s tears with her tumb, “What’s the matter?” _

_ “D-Dad got mad at me again…” Keith hiccuped, sniffling a little, “I-I wanted to p-play with him… but he yelled at me…” _

_ “Oh, Keith,” Haggar only looked more concerned. _

_ “What did I do wrong?” Keith sobbed, wiping his eyes, “He always plays with Lotor, so why can’t he play with me too?” _

_ “Oh, come here, sweetpea,” Haggar picked up Keith and lifted herself up to stand, holding a tiny, sobbing Keith in her arms, “You know what, Keith? I have a gift for you. I’ve been meaning to give it to you for some time now, and I think it’s time. Let’s go…” _

_ Keith gripped onto Haggar’s shirt and whimpered softly into her chest as the older Altean walked down the halls with Keith in her arms. After a few minutes, Haggar opened the door and brought Keith into a small room. The room was decorated and colored with yarn and other strange machines that Keith didn’t recognize. He wanted to ask Haggar what they were, but didn’t have time when she sat him down on a giant, leather chair that sat close what looked like a desk. _

_ Haggar opened up a small drawer on the desk and she pulled something out, but Keith couldn’t see what it was before the older Altean hid it behind her back and turned to Keith. The boy quirked his head to the side, wondering what the women was hiding behind her back. _

_ “I was going to give you this for your birthday…” Haggar looked down at Keith, “But I think now is a good time, too.” _

_ Keith gasped as Haggar revealed what she was hiding: a stuffed hippo with big, black buttoned eyes. It was light grey with white stitching around it and it was large enough for it to drown in Keith’s arms. The boy grinned widely when he saw the toy and Haggar didn’t even hesitate to give it to Keith, who immediately grabbed it and hugged it tightly, a bright smile decorating his face. _

_ “A hippo!” Keith cheered, “I love hippos!” _

_ Haggar chuckled at Keith, and once again, bent down to Keith’s level, “That’s right. That’s why I made you a hippo.” _

_ “I love it!” He looked up at her with a bright grin, “Thank you! But… why give it to me now?” _

_ “I think you need it now more than ever…” she paused, “Keith, I want you to promise me something. Promise me that whenever you feel sad... you’ll hug this hippo and tell someone what’s wrong, okay?” _

_ “I promise…!” Keith’s eyes seemed to glow. _

_ Haggar smiled, and moved her hand up to rub Keith’s hair, causing the boy to giggle loudly, “That’s my Keith. Remember, there are people out there who really care about you. A whole lot. Can you tell me someone who cares about you?” _

_ “Um…” Keith paused, looking down at the toy hippo for a moment, “Lotor does!” _

_ “Yes he does,” she smiled, “Your big brother loves you very much. Can you name someone else?” _

_ “You!” Keith cheered, and moved up to give Haggar a hug. _

_ Haggar laughed and gladly hugged the small child back, carefully brushing his hair with her fingertips as she did so. “Yes, I care about you too! So remember Keith, even if it doesn’t seem like it, there are people out there who love you. Never forget that.” _

_ “I won’t…” he smiled against her shoulder, never wanting the hug from her to ever end. _

_ - _

(August 2nd, 3:07pm…)

“Keith?” The small space of the car caused Shiro’s voice to echo in it slightly.

The young prince didn’t even listen to Shiro’s voice as the chauffeur drove the limousine down the slightly bumpy road to the Altean castle. Ever since he was told that he was to move into the Altean castle and to be mated with the Altean prince, he hasn’t been able to think clearly for even a second, like his new role was blocking any clear thoughts from entering his brain.

His eyes seemed to lack color and faint circles decorated the bottom of them because he hasn’t been able to sleep since. He’s been miserable and he doesn’t think anything could fix it besides having the driver turn this damn carriage around and take them back home.

Since Zarkon was  _ supposedly _ busy, he entrusted Shiro to protect Keith and stand as a representative of the Galra kingdom. Keith thought it was ridiculous that his father can’t even be there, and that he sent one of his own generals to do it for him. Zarkon said that he may be able to come soon, but he’d be better off not because the moment the king walked in, Keith can’t guarantee he’ll be able to keep calm.

“Keith, I can’t even begin to imagine what you may be going through,” Shiro sighed, “But--”

“No, you don’t.” Keith growled, keeping his eyes on the window, “ _ You _ get to choose who you want to be with and  _ you  _ don’t get treated like a fucking child.”

“Keith, I know you don’t like this, and trust me, I don’t either, but you have to keep your anger under control when we get to the castle.” Shiro placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “If you offend anyone in the Altean royal family, you could make this war last even longer.”

The prince didn’t reply, keeping his gaze on the fields outside. He knew how much ending this war meant to the kingdom and now much it meant to  _ Shiro _ . He lost his arm fighting in this war and Keith knew no gift would make Shiro more happy than finally ending this feud. Keith knew that this marriage would be for the good of their kingdom, but selfish thoughts still corrupt his head.    
  
Why? Why him? At the very least, why didn’t his father ask him if he wanted this? Then again, Keith knew if his father asked, Keith was going to get dragged into this anyway because his father is such a spoiled, stubborn brat that can’t accept no for an answer and, no matter what he has to do, always gets his way. Always.

If he had to be honest, Keith never liked how Omegas were treated differently. Sure, they definitely had more rights now then back when Zarkon was young, but they were still treated like objects, at least the old-school Alphas did. That was Zarkon’s problem. He just couldn’t accept the fact that Omegas were  _ actually _ people. Hell, it was because that old bastard couldn’t accept this new reality that they got caught up in this damn war in the first place! 

Keith was once told by Lotor that early in his rule, Zarkon was almost taking down as King because the people began to protest regarding Omega rights. He said that Zarkon made plenty of public announcements saying that Omegas were nothing more than  _ breeders _ or  _ Alpha pets _ . He was nearly kicked off his own throne, at least until he finally listened to the people, as well as the other rulers, and gave Omegas more rights. The new laws seemed to satisfy everyone and no one has seemed to complain, at least not yet.

However, just because the public applied to these laws, doesn’t mean Zarkon accepts them and follows them, or even applied all the ones that were required. 

A lot of the people who work at the castle  _ agree _ with Zarkon’s view on Omegas, or at least have similar opinions. It’s because of this that Keith was treated like a  _ child.  _ Some even threatened to treat him bad, or do things to him, but they knew that Zarkon would’ve had them executed the moment anyone reported any bad treatment of his son.

Keith knew that Zarkon loved him… or at least he think he does, but he doesn’t seem to understand that things have changed for Galra, Alteans, and the other kingdoms. And he just can’t seem to accept that.

“Keith…” Shiro’s voice caused Keith to glance over at him, “You know I’ll be staying at the castle with you. At least for a little bit…”

The prince grunted as he continued, “So, if there is anything you want to talk about, anything at all, you can come to me.”

“I know…” Keith smiled a little. That’s a start. “And thanks… because I don’t know if I’ll be able to get through this on my own...”

-

(3:38pm…)

“Lance, you look amazing!” Allura cheered as Lance walked out of his bedroom.

Today was the day that Lance’s new mate is suppose to arrive, and of course his father had to make sure his son looked over-the-top for the young prince arriving today. He had an outfit all ready for him and even had Allura make sure that he actually  _ wore _ it. 

The suit was a lot Allura’s dress. It was white with blue and golden accents scattered around the outfit. He wore matching white pants that stood that make it look like it was a bodysuit. Tied around the front of his neck, a small, blue cloak trailed down his back, nearly touching the floor with an elegant design on the back made with white thread.

Aside from the outfit, Lance wore dark blue earrings, similar to Allura’s purple ones. Golden chains were also attached from his upper ear lobe and went right up to the tip, another ear piece that held up the chain. While Lance was among the few Alphas who actually enjoyed wearing jewelry and dressing up nice, he had to admit that this was a little much for just meeting his future mate. 

Right after he changed, a few women came in and “cleaned him up”. Against his will, they ended up putting tons of makeup on Lance that made his skin glow and he features stand out. Lance didn’t really mind the make up after it was put on him, but he still found himself sighing a little, and his face getting stupidly itchy.

“I’m sure that the prince will fall for you the second he sees you!” Allura grinned.

“...or not be able to stand me the moment he walks in.” Lance growled in a low voice.

“Oh, Lance.” Allura patted her brother’s arm, “I’m sure he’ll love you. Besides, he will be your mate, so… he doesn’t have much of a choice.” She winced slightly at her own words.

“That’s my  _ point _ , Allura.” Lance sighed, “We  _ didn’t _ have a choice. At least I didn’t. And judging from his father, I doubt he didn’t either.”

“Well, there you go!” Allura grinned, “Bond over how you didn’t get a choice in this!”

“I hope you realize you aren’t helping.” Lance deadpans.

“Lance,” His sister’s voice softened, and she placed a hand on his shoulder, “I know you don’t like this, but this is for the good of the kingdom. This marriage can save both kingdoms from this war.”

“I know, I know,” Lance jerked away, causing his sister to flinch a little. “But I’m being robbed of something very important in someone’s life. In  _ my _ life. I know it's for the good of our people, but I still feel betrayed.”

“You want to be with who you choose, I know,” Allura nodded a few times, “But… I hate to admit this, but father is right for once. He gave you a chance but you didn’t take it.”

Lance’s blood began to boil. Allura was on their father’s side?! Allura had covered for Lance more times than he can count! She had always been there for Lance, and now she chooses to defend their hell of a father?!

“Because I don’t want to just  _ choose _ a mate!” Lance didn’t even realize he was shouting, not until he saw Allura’s surprised reaction. “You think people just  _ choose _ a mate and then just move on?  _ No _ ! This is the person who you will be spending the rest of your life with! The person who you want to love and cherish forever!”

“Lance--”

“You wouldn’t understand, so don’t even fucking try.” Lance then turned his back to Allura, signaling that the conversation was over.

Since Allura was a Beta, she didn’t bond with beta like Alphas and Omegas did, but could still have children if it was with a male beta. Of course, she could easily marry someone, but she doesn’t have to. It honestly angered Lance that he had to go through rigorous training and teachings in order to one day rule while his  _ older _ sister had to do  _ nothing _ .

Even though she was older, Allura wasn’t an Alpha, so she couldn’t take over. The only acception to this rule is if the current ruler passes away without having an Alpha child. And oh boy Lance got lucky and turned out to be a goddamn Alpha.

So no, Allura could never understand because her entire life has been her just doing what  _ she _ wants,  _ when _ she wants. Meanwhile, Lance has been working his ass off to please their father and become the perfect ruler he has always wanted. Ever since he presented,  _ day _ after  _ day _ their father made sure Lance knew everything about fighting, ruling, manners, and everything in between. He went to every class Alfor had him in, learned how to fight and never did anything to displease their father or put dirt on the kingdom.

And this what he gets? After everything he did for his father?

Lance knew that he was being selfish, that spoiled prince part of him taking over, letting selfish thoughts in. But wouldn’t anyone else in his shoes feel the same way? Any common person, no matter which species they may be, just dreams of nothing more than finding their perfect match, that special someone you will spend your life with. And all of a sudden, it was like that free will they always had was gone, and they were just a puppet in someone else’s control; In Alfor’s control.

His thoughts were interrupted when he sensed someone approaching. Turning his head back, Lance saw Coran turn the corner of the hallway towards them. Coran was Alfor’s royal adviser, and the one who taught most of Lance’s classes aside from fighting. He had bright orange hair that was sicked back and reached a little ways past the nape of his neck. He had a nice mustache that he cared for very well and bright blue Altean marks. His face had a decent amount of wrinkles due to age, in other words, meaning that Coran has been around for a long time.

Coran and Lance became very close not long after he first started teaching him. At first, Lance didn’t like him one bit, but that mostly had to do with his childish frustrations when his father forced him to take these classes at no older than thirteen. Since Coran, too, was an Alpha, he managed to teach Lance a lot of more…  _ personal _ things and helped him understand himself more. 

Because of all he had to do, Coran was also someone Lance confided in, other than Pidge or Hunk. He often spoke about how stressful his training is, how persistent his father is about it, or just about really stupid shit that he needs to get off his chest. No matter what, Coran always listened and offered Lance some advice and some closure from his own experiences.

As he approached the siblings, he spoke up, “Allura, Lance. The prince is here.”

Allura grinned happily, while Lance’s face fell and sadness clouded his eyes. Coran gave the boy a frown. Of course, Lance confided in Coran about this whole  _ arranged marriage _ . Coran said he would not understand personally what that feels like, but he has seen another friend in the dame situation he was in: King Alfor. To try and help, Coran told the story about how his father and his mother first met…

His parents story sounded a lot like the beginning of his own and… whoever he was going to mate with. Both Alfor and Lance’s mother had been in an arranged marriage with the daughter of an extremely wealthy businessman. Neither of them were too happy about the arrangement, but somehow managed to fall in love while the former Queen was pregnant with Allura.

It was a touching story, Lance will admit, and he appreciated Coran for telling him it, but he doubt that him and this Galra prince guy would get along too much. At the very least, the other party member will barely even acknowledge him. 

“Come on, Lance!” Allura cheered, “Not a moment to waste! Let’s meet him!” Before Lance could even reply, Allura ran off to the nearest entrance of the throne room.

Lance sighed and Coran placed a supporting hand on Lance’s shoulder, “I’m sorry that you have to go through this.”

“Thanks, Coran.” Lance smiled a little, keeping his gaze down, his eyes a little glossy, “Who knows, maybe it won’t be too bad.”

“Try and keep up that positive attitude,” Coran pat his back a few times with a small smile. “And while maybe you won’t be in love with the prince, but perhaps you could try and make friends with him.”

“Make friends?” Lance didn’t mean to say it outloud.

“Well…” The older Altean paused, “I’m assuming this prince didn’t have much of a choice either, especially considering how the Galra have more strict rules and beliefs when it comes to Omegas. At the very least you could do is offer him some closure, tell him how you’ve been feeling about it.”

Now that Lance thought about it, that wouldn’t be such a bad idea. If there was one thing Lance knew about, it was how strict the Galra were with Omegas. They did have more rights now, but considering this one is the King’s son, he probably has it  _ much _ worse than Lance does or any other Omega out there.

“I guess that isn’t the worst idea in the world…” Lance blinked for a moment.

“That’s my boy,” Coran grinned, “Not come, we can’t keep them waiting.”

With a small nod, Lance followed Coran in the direction Allura went that lead to the throne room. Lance tried his best to keep himself calm, tried to tell him things that would make him feel better.  _ Okay. Okay. Breathe, Lance. It’s going to be just fine. Just look at this from the other’s perspective. He has probably gone through just as much pain and hardship regarding this marriage. It’ll be okay. _

“Lance,” Coran turned to him, “Is everything okay?”

The prince’s face was scrunched up, almost angrily, as he got lost in his thoughts. It only disappeared when Lance heard Coran spoke, the man looking a little concerned at the way his eyes stayed on the ground, lacking color and how his eyebrows were furrowed.

“Y-Yeah.” Lance sighed, “Just trying to clear my head…”

Coran seemed to have accepted this answer and continued to guide Lance to the throne room. By the time they reached the large doors, Allura was already impatiently pacing back and forth in front of the door. They were opened yet, but Lance already knew what was waiting for them. When Allura notice the two Altean approach, she let out a large sigh of relief and began to pester around with Lance’s clothing. She ruffled out any wrinkles and even straightened out Lance’s cloak that was scrunched up in the back. Since when did Allura become such a hassle?

“Allura, stop.” Lance groaned in annoyance, “You are being ridiculous.”

“ _ I’m _ being ridiculous?” Allura carefully eyes Lance, muttered a few words to herself before speaking up, “Perfect. You look divine!”

“I looked perfectly fine before.” Lance sighed, “Why are  _ you _ of all people even freaking out about this so much?”

“Well, many reasons,” Allura began to walk in circles around the two, “One, he will be your mate, AKA the one you will bond with. Two, this young man isn’t just your mate, but the youngest prince of the Galra.” She then points an accusing finger in Lance’s face “If he gets offended in any way, shape, or form, this war could last for centuries!” 

“That might be a slight exaggeration.” Lance deadpans. 

“It may,” She shrugged, trying to fix up Lance pure white hair, “But either way, you need to watch out for what you say or do to him.”

“I will, I will.” Lance sighed, “And stop touching me,” the boy carefully moved his sister away.

“You look perfect!” She grinned, even though Lance looked no different. “It’s time, Lance! Go! Your new mate is right behind those doors!”

With a long, deep sigh, Lance approached the door, with Coran on his heels. He carefully placed his hand onto the door knob and gripped it tightly, hesitating.  _ Okay, Lance… you can do this. Just. Breathe. _

Within one quick movement, Lance pushed the door open and walked inside.

-

(4:31pm…)

“Ah, your highness, welcome!” Alfor cheered.

When the limo pulled up to the castle, Altea’s king, Alfor, had made his way out to the car to greet them. He was certainly a cheerful man, and very welcoming, considering all the hatred that the Galra and the Alteans have held onto. The driver made his way over to the door and opened it up for Keith and Shiro. Keith stepped out first, giving them a small thanks before he followed Shiro over to the king, who had a few knights standing behind him.

The knights uniforms were… much different than the ones Keith were used to. They consisted of the same bright, white material that covered just about every inch of their body, aside from their head and each one had different colored accents. Keith remembered reading in a book about Altean culture about how the different colors on guard uniforms represented their standing. Regular soldiers had blue accents on their armor.

Keith couldn’t help but notice the king. He wore an outfit similar to the guards, but it looked a bit different. It had the same buildup, but was much larger and had more accents colored in gold. That, and a small metal held back a cloak that draped over his shoulders and down his back. The king himself had dark caramel skin and bright, white hair. Keith, again, from reading books knew that most Alteans had bright colored hair, but that white was considered a rare trait amongst them. From what he knew, white was a color that Alteans used a lot in their culture, so Keith assumed that having white hair was a big deal.

“Ah, you must be Prince Keith.” The man smiled, “If you do not know, I am Alfor, King of the Alteans.” He turned to Shiro, giving him an slightly odd looked that disappeared as fast as it appeared, “Oh, who are you? I was unaware that the prince would have more company.”

Shiro gave Alfor a respective bow, “I am Takashi, one of the generals of the royal army, but please, call me Shiro.” He offers his left hand to Alfor, who happily shakes it, “I apologize, but King Zarkon won’t be able to make it. He entrusted me to watch after Keith and make sure he wasn’t too uncomfortable.”

_ There goes Shiro with that polite act of his _ , Keith thought

“Ah, of course,” Alfor smiled. “Please then, if you do not mind, follow me into the throne room.”

With a nod, Shiro and Keith followed Alfor, as well as the guards, into the castle. As they entered a hallway, Keith had to admit: it looked nothing like the castle he is familiar with. The ceilings were tall and the walls were pure white, decorated with bright blue curtains on the windows and a variety of lights and paintings on ones that lacked windows. The floor, too, was a darker shade of blue, but red carpets were centered on the floor of each hall. They knew how to decorate.

Each hallway looked about the same, aside from a variety of doors that had small signs next to them written in the ancient Altean language. While no one really knew about it, ancient languages were something Keith read about in some of his books. He understood most of it, but still struggled a bit with some translations.As they made their way to the throne room, Keith tried to read some of the signs. Might as well practice. Some of them were simple translations, such as “kitchen”, “dining area”, and he even say a medical bay. They were all pretty average and simple translations, but one caught Keith’s eyes.

The sign looked much more polished, almost brand new, or at has been put there recently. The text was fairly long a bit harder to translate, so Keith slowed down to try and read the sign.

It translated to “Prince Lance’s study”.

Study? Prince Lance? Was that his name? 

_ Lance... _

“Keith, everything okay?” Keith snapped his head up when he heard Shiro call for him. Turns out Keith was trailing behind a fair distance.

“Is something the matter?” Alfor turned to him, “Are you not well?”

“N-No, I’m fine.” Keith muttered and caught up to Shiro, “Thanks for the concern though.”

Accepting that answer, Alfor continued to lead the to Galra to the throne room. Shiro casually trailed behind to Keith and began to speak to him in a low whisper.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Shiro asked, a small, concerned look on his face.

“Well,” Keith kept his voice hushed, “Aside from being forced into some marriage, I’m fine.” Shiro rolled his eyes, “But seriously, I’m okay.”

“Alright…” Shiro sighed and then kept his gaze up.

Before they even knew it, the small group approached a large door that was guarded by two Altean guards. As they approached, the guards took the doors and opened them. The king gave them a quick thanks as he entered the throne room.

As Keith walked past the guards, he couldn’t help but notice the stares and the almost hungry looks they both gave him. It sent a shiver up his back. He knew that Alphas took pills or even got injections that kept them under control around Omegas, but the disturbing looks still made Keith uncomfortable and began to instinctively move closer to Shiro.

The throne room was as grand as he thought it was. While it wasn’t a large room, the throne that overlooked the whole place within a small climb of stairs made the place look elegant beyond compare. The railings of the stairs were decorated with beautiful blue fabrics and devine red carpets, like the one in the halls, alined on the steps.

When Keith looked around the room, he saw what appeared to be some workers of the castle, as well as some officials, all their eyes glued to him. The workers dressed in pretty average clothing, mostly consisting of tunics and dresses, while the officials were dressed in grand, white robes with silky golden accents.

The looks they all gave… Keith couldn’t stand it. Even before he presented, he wasn’t used to the attention, even if silence was all that remained. Regardless of whether or not he became an Alpha, Keith wouldn’t be able to take over because Lotor was an Alpha. He may have had a chance if he was an Alpha, still, but that didn’t end up being the case. After he presented, no one really bothered him as much. Of course, guards regularly checked up on Keith, but other than that, it was as though he were invisible. Hell, his own father barely even acknowledged him. He was so focused on his supposed  _ better _ and  _ smarter _ and  _ stronger _ older brother, that Keith could kill a man and she wouldn’t give two shits.

But now… everyone's eyes were on him. Some just gave blank looks, almost like they were just acknowledging that he’s in the room, while others gave Keith that exact same look the guards had at the doors. Keith even swore he saw one lick his bottom lip slowly as his gaze remained on him.

Keith knew that, just like at the castle back home, that Alphas took pills or other forms of medication to control themselves around Omegas, like just about any other species does, but they still had  _ thoughts _ . The idea sent a shiver up Keith’s spine and he began to feel uncomfortable.

“Oh where is that boy…” Alfor muttered, “Coran! Could you please get Lance and alert him of Prince Keith’s arrival?”

Coran, a tall man with orange hair and a noticeable mutsache, quickly nodded and made his way out one of the doors.

“I wonder what Prince Lance is like…” Shiro murmured to Keith, attempting to lighten the mood for him.

Now that Keith thought about it… he literally knows nothing about the guy he’s suppose to fucking marry  _ and _ mate with. All the knowledge Keith had on this “Prince Lance” guy was his name and that he is the prince of Altea. What would he be like? Would he have tan skin and white hair like his father, or perhaps another trait? Would he be nice to Keith or would he be like his mother who treated Omegas like  _ objects _ ? Will this guy even acknowledge Keith’s existence, especially considering he didn’t have a choice in this?

“You never met Lance before?” Keith replied.

“I’ve only seen pictures of him.” Shiro shrugged, “But I haven’t seen him in person, so I can’t say whether or not he’ll be good.”

“Thanks for the assurance, Shiro.” Keith sighed.

“Hey,” Shiro placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “Who knows, maybe Lance won’t be as bad as your making him sound. He may be a nice guy. But if he does treat you badly, let me know.”

“Thanks…” he whispered quietly.

“Prince Lance of Altea has entered!”

The sudden announcement from one of the royal guards at the door made Keith jump a little, and caused Shiro to straighten his posture to look impressive for the prince. Everyone in the room seemed to grin happily and had quick conversations with themselves, all smiling and grinning as they excitedly chattered, their gazes switching from Keith to the door. Was Lance just that great of a guy? Or was this because they were witnessing two future mates meeting for the first time? Keith couldn’t tell.

Lead by Coran, two Alteans strolled their way in.  _ Damn, they knew how much to make a grand entrance.  _ When they came in, two Alteans stood in front of the door, looking grand as Keith expected.

The first one was a young women who had dark tan skin and long, bright white hair. She wore an long, elegant white dress with blue and gold accents that made her skin and bright blue eyes stand out. She looked almost  _ exactly _ like Alfor. His daughter, perhaps? Keith had been aware that Alfor has a son, but he never heard a thing about a daughter. 

When Keith turned his gaze to the other Altean, he  _ knew _ this was Lance. He had the same shining white hair and tan skin as his father and sister, with bright blue eyes and blue Altean markings standing out against it. He wore a white top that had golden and blue accents scattered around it. White pants covered his legs and a dark blue cloak was attached to his shoulders and draped down his long back down to his ankles.

Lance was… a lot more attractive than Keith thought. It even made him blush a little. This man could definitely be spotted in a large crowd without even trying to find him, regardless of whether he wore the flashy clothes. His dark skin contrasted beautifully with his white hair and his blue eyes looked Keith was staring into the ocean. Keith will admit any day that Lance is attractive, but Keith prefers to judge on personality more.

For a moment, Keith saw Shiro staring at Keith, smirking wickedly. Keith would’ve elbowed him in the side, but now wasn’t the best time, so he just shot him a warning glare and the older Galra looked away.

Alfor approached Keith and Shiro, with Lance and, who Keith assumed was Lance’s sister, behind his heels. Even the way Lance walked looked as grand as his appearance. He definitely was considered an attractive Alpha.

Alfor and his daughter moved to the side, letting Lance stand in front of Keith. He seemed to have a happy expression, his ocean blue eyes filled with warmth and a small smile curved on his lips. His arms were neatly folded behind his back and he looked down slightly at Keith, his expression not changing.

What was going on in his head?

“Prince Keith,” Alfor started, “I would like you to meet my son, Prince Lance and the next king of Altea.”

Before Keith could do anything, one of Lance’s arms came forward and reached for Keith’s left hand. The prince then proceeds to bring his hand up and place a soft, delicate kiss on Keith’s knuckled, giving Keith a small smile. Small chuckles and smiles came from the people around them.

Keith’s skin began to boil and he couldn’t help but release the small blush that appeared on his cheeks and his neck. Why was he acting like this? He was suppose to  _ hate _ Lance. This bastard was suppose to just get married with him and mate with him and then he could leave Keith in the dust once he was done with him. But this man, this fucking bastard, was giving Keith kisses on the hand and giving him this soft smile that Keith just wanted to punch off his beautiful face.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Keith.” Lance said calmly.

Keith let out a long sigh,  _ control yourself _ … “It’s nice to finally meet you, as well.” He managed a small smile.

The interaction wasn’t… awkward, but Keith was still unsure of what to do or say. He never really had to worry too much this kind of stuff, so he was a little inexperience. At least he didn’t say anything stupid… Not yet that is. Keith has only had minor experience and only the most basic knowledge of things like this, so he just hopes something else doesn’t happen.

“Oh!” Alfor suddenly came in, and then he gestures to the other girl, “This is Princess Allura. My daughter, and a Beta.”

Allura didn’t seem to want to say much, so she just gave him a large smile and waved. Of course, Keith returned the wave and gave her a quick nod and a smile. She seemed like a nice girl.

“Now that that’s settled,” Alfor turned to Lance, “Lance, take Keith to his new room. I shall have someone retrieve his things for him.”

_Well, that was quick…_ Keith thought

“Let’s go,” Lance held out his hand to Keith with a smile, expecting Keith to take it.

Keith hesitated for a moment, but he slowly placed his hand on top of Lance’s. The prince wrapped his fingers around Keith’s, causing the boy’s skin to heat up. His hands were… really soft. He must’ve used something make them that soft. Lotion? Or maybe he just had naturally soft hands. 

With a small nod, Lance lead Keith through the doors he had entered before and lead Keith throne the maze of hallways that this castle had. Keith noticed that Lance never looked back at Keith, but he kept his hand wrapped around Keith’s and would slow down when he sensed that Keith was falling behind a little. Maybe the entire “romantic loverboy” impression Lance put on was just a coverup to please his father and to not offend him…

Suddenly, Lance stopped and Keith nearly ran into his back. The boy stopped in front of a small brown door, looking no different than the other doors. Before Lance opened the door, Keith noticed the sign next to it. He blinked for a moment before he recognized some of the symbols from another sign…

The sign translated to “Prince Lance’s bedroom”.

Lance’s bedroom? Keith was kind of expecting Lance to take him to his own separate room. The boy assumed that Lance wasn’t too keen on this arranged marriage, so he expected the prince to prepare a separate room so he didn’t have to deal with him, but he is letting him sleep in his room? Or maybe they had it arranged so that they simply shared a room, and maybe brought a second bed for him,

“Your bedroom?” Keith accidentally muttered out loud.

Lance turned his gaze behind his shoulder, his hand hovering over the doorknob, “How did you know this was my room?”

“The sign…” Keith pointed to it.

“You…” Lance blinked at the sign for a moment, completely dumbfounded, “You can read Altean…?”

Keith immediately began to blush, the red drawing down to his ears and even on his knuckles a little, “I-I just have a-a lot of free time… so I guess I just kind of… learned it…?”

Lance’s let out a small chuckle from his breath. He looked amused, happy in a sense. What was he thinking? Did he find it creepy that he could read Altean? Or interesting? Keith didn’t even want to know how Lance would react to him being able to read all the ancient languages of the four kingdoms…

“I’ve never heard of a Galra that could read ancient Altean.” Lance smiled, “Pretty unique to say the least.” Lance turned back to the door and opened it slowly, “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you your own room… or you’re own bed. Father claimed that since we’ll be… you know” he shook his head, “That we should get used to sharing a bed. Go on in.”

Sharing a bed? With Prince Lance? While Keith believed it was something he could get used to, why would the king suggest they share a bed? Sharing a bedroom was one thing; Keith definitely wouldn't mind that, but sharing a bed? Even Keith had to admit that sharing a bed at this point in time seemed a little much for them, but Keith just simply shrugged, hoping not to offend them.

“I-Its okay.” Keith assured him, walking into the room, “This is fine.”

Actually, it was more fine than Keith believed. His jaw nearly dropped when he stepped into the grand bedroom. The room had light grey walls and dark blue carpets scattering the hard floor, but that wasn’t what made Keith like it so much. The room actually looked like  _ Lance’s _ . It actually looked like any ordinary teenager’s bedroom, other than the nice decor.

The room had a variety of things that made the room stand out. Many photos were hung up on the wall, some were boring portraits of Lance or of him and his family, but some had silly pictures of him and Allura. He even say a photo with Lance and that Coran guy. Were they close? Other than the photos and variety of other things like stuffed toys, the room was pretty plain. He had grand bed with white and blue sheets and a large wardrobe and a small desk. The room had a lot space, yet there wasn’t many things that filled it up.

This was going to take a while to get used to…

-

(4:01pm…)

Lance blinked for a moment as the young Galra prince known as Keith slowly looked around his room, almost in awe. He didn’t know why. There wasn’t anything too special in his room, at least Lance thinks there isn't. Perhaps Keith’s room wasn’t like Lance’s back home. Considering his father is King Zarkon of all people, Lance figured the Prince’s room and overall lifestyle may be different.

Speaking of Keith, Lance had the wrong idea of him, at least he thinks he did so far.He wasn’t sure if Keith was only faking, but from what he’s seen, Keith is actually pretty nice. Even now, as they’re alone and away from the judging, prying eyes of others, the Galra prince has yet to make a rude comments or declare his undying hatred for Lance.

Other than that… Lance had to admit: Keith was pretty cute. The smallest, inconvenient things caused him to get flushed in a deep blush and he kept trying to look professional back in the throne room when he first approached him, but the blush remained the whole time. And it was adorable. Not only that, but he was actually… surprisingly  _ pretty _ .

Keith’s light purple skin made his blush turn a magenta color, and he noticed how sometimes his pointy, fluffy ears turned down once when he blushed. His hair was very unique, the top half being a purple and the bottom half a magenta color; Lance had never seen anything like it. And the eyes… they were so big and full of color, even if they blended in with his skin and hair so naturally.

Lance will admit that, but just because he finds someone attractive, doesn’t mean he wants to  _ marry _ them! He would gladly go up to Keith and admit he’s attractive any day, but the idea of marriage and maybe even having a child with Keith seemed a little too much for someone he’s known for not even a whole hour.

“Lance, are you okay?” Keith turned over to Lance from where he was standing in the middle of the room.

The boy didn’t even realize he was blushing until he gently touched his cheeks with the tip of his fingers and shook his head, “Yeah, I’m fine…”

“Hey, um…” Keith looked away for a moment, “If you ever want to… talk about, well,  _ this _ ,” he gestures to them both, “You can talk to me… o-only if you want to, that is! I’m not the best at… talking about this kind of stuff, but I’ll listen. I’m going to assume you didn’t get a choice in this, either, huh?”

Lance shook his head with a small frown, “No.” he then looks up at Keith, noticing how nervous and on-edge he seemed to look, “Look, you seem like an alright guy. And you don’t have to do all that formal shit when it’s just us. Since all of this bullshit is going to happen regardless of what we say, might as well learn to tolerate each other.”

The words caught Keith off guard. Lance seemed to talk to Keith so… casually that Keith didn’t even know what to do or say. Ever since he presented, Keith always has been treated like he was an idiot, like he hasn’t seen or know about what the world is like. As Keith likes to put it, a  _ child _ . If not that, than he was treated like the gods themselves came down to Earth, and he was tired of it.

A child. A young person who has yet to experience the dangers of the world. Meanwhile, Keith has fought monsters that only the soldiers around the castle were brave enough to fight. And yet the castle workers and guards speak to him like he didn’t  _ understand _ . They acted like Keith was a curious child, and that they were trying to protect his innocence from the dangers of the world. They never let him do  _ anything _ on his own.

“Hey, man, you okay?” Lance asked, looking concerned

“Y-Yeah…” Keith looked away, “I’m just… not used to  _ that _ .”

“Used to what?”

“Being treated like everyone else.” Keith whispered.

Lance didn’t know how to respond. He knew that Galras had stricter rules when it came to Omegas, but was it really that bad? Were Omegas really treated  _ that _ badly? Being honest, Lance had never liked the strict rules that the Galra had or the way Omegas have been treated in the past. Many centuries ago, Omegas were basically  _ slaves _ . They were treated like animals and sometimes were even traded. Their main purpose back then was to be  _ breeders _ .

It sickened Lance. Omegas were just like everyone else, so he doesn’t understand how back then, and even now, people think that Omegas were  _ things _ . Lance knew that the Galra King was nearly forced by his own people to establish more rights to Omegas, and that it was the main reason they were at war with them, but that doesn’t mean Zarkon actually treasts Omegas the same way the public does.

“Hey…” Lance placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder and stroke Keith’s skin with this thumb soothingly, “You don’t have to worry about any of that shit here, alright? You’re no different than anyone else. So just try to relax.”

Keith blinked at Lance for a moment, before nodding a little, “Okay…”

Lance sighed. This was going to be hard to get used to…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading UwU  
> Follow my Instagram @thosespacegays if ya like video edits  
> Can't really think of anything else to say okay bye—


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for chapter 4!

_ (3 years ago…) _

_ Keith was sitting down on his bed with his legs crossed and his hands in his lap, looking down at them like they just betrayed them. However, it wasn’t his own hands that he were afraid of. Whenever Keith looked down at his hands, all he could were his father’s. What was he afraid of? The power that those hands held? That man’s disgusting hands held so much power, in several kinds of ways that it made Keith sick. _

_ This has to be maybe the seventh or eighth day that he’s been in his room without leaving it. With how the last few weeks has been, Keith might as well just not be allowed to leave his bedroom. He didn’t understand… why did Zarkon do this? Why did that sorry excuse for a father even care? Not once was he ever for Keith, so why does he care now? Keith hardly calls it caring. He speaks to him so that he could take away everything he’s ever loved in his life! Can’t they have a damn regular conversation without Zarkon giving him orders? _

_ After everything that’s happened, Keith didn’t even know how to feel. All Keith knew what to do was lock himself up in his room, avoiding everyone. He still eats sometimes, but mostly because Haggar, Shiro, and even Lotor would come into his room and beg him to eat something. In the end, Keith would only end up eating until he wasn’t hungry anymore would have a glass or two of water before he asked them to leave. They all seemed to understand why he was doing this, and other than Shiro most of the time, they would respect his choice and leave him alone. _

_ After these strict rules were applied, Keith didn’t know what else he could do. Every soldiers in the castle have been made aware of these new rules, and all of the things Keith enjoys have been locked away out of his reach. Fighting, training, even taking walks outside the damn castle were restricted from his. Zarkon made it very clear that if any soldier allowed Keith to get away with any of this, they’d be executed. For their sake, Keith went along with it. _

_ Speaking of, everyone looked at him differently. Some of the guards would have looks of concern, or even pity written across their face whenever  Keith passed them. Other times, the Alpha soldiers would have this look in their eyes that Keith could only describe as hunger. The soldiers knew better than to try and do anything to him. Shiro would have them killed if Zarkon didn’t hear the news first, or if Haggar or Lotor didn’t kick their asses already so they had a slow, painful death.  _

_ Keith just wanted it to end already… why was it him that had to go through this? What made him different now that he was an Omega? He was still the same Keith as before. He didn't change… it wasn’t fair. If Keith had the courage to, he’d gladly kill his father right then and there so Lotor could hurry up and take over. Zarkon tried his best to pass on his beliefs onto this older son, and while he’s good at faking it, Lotor never liked the idea of treating Omegas differently. After Keith presented, his beliefs stuck to him like glue. _

_ Throwing his head in his hands, Keith let the tears fall down his face. He’s lost count of all the times he’s cried in the last week. What else could he do? Everything else he loved to do was taken away from him, so crying just seemed like the perfect thing to do. Under normal circumstances, Keith would’ve gladly rebelled. He only has once… and he’s regretted it ever since. _

_ As the tears fell down his cheeks, he barely even regustured the small, gentle knock that came from the other side of his bedroom door. He lifted his head up when he heard that familiar raspy voice come from the other side of it, “Keith… may I come in?” _

_ Haggar… Keith figured she would be here by now. It was dinner time already, so she was probably here to give him some food, and to talk like they always do. After softly calling out to her saying the door was unlocked, Haggar opened the bedroom door with a tray of food in one of her hands, using the other one to carefully close the door behind her. Her smile was gentle and even with the shadow of her hood covering part of her face, Keith could still see that warm glow in her eyes. _

_ “Hey, sweet pea…” Haggar said to Keith gently, “Everything okay?” _

_ “Y-Yeah,” Keith replied quietly as he wiped away the last remains of tears from his face, “Just a little tired, that’s all.” _

_ Keith could tell from Haggar’s look that she didn’t believe him, but like she always does, she doesn’t push it. She walked over to the bec and sat on the edge of it, placing the tray of food onto Keith’s lap with a small smile, “You should try and eat some more this time…” _

_ He paused for a moment before he picked up the silver fork in his hands and sighed, “Okay… for you.” _

_ Haggar smiled at his words as Keith began to eat. He always felt really joyful whenever he got Haggar to smile. It was similar to that feeling when you do something that makes your mother proud. Even if Keith never met their mother… he always thought he and Haggar had that kind of bond. He’s known the older Altean all his life, and she always cared for him whenever he felt sick, sad, or just needed some motherly love that only Lotor had the luxury of feeling. She was there for everything… every birthday, every holiday, and just about every special moment in Keith’s life. If Keith could never meet his real mother, he would gladly accept Haggar for that role. _

_ “Hey, Haggar?” Keith suddenly asked, putting his fork down, “Did… Did you ever meet my mother?” _

_ Haggar seemed surprise at the sudden question, and didn't speak for a moment before she chuckled slightly, a small smile appearing on her lips, “Your mother… she was my best friend. She told me everything… sometimes I felt like I knew more about her than Zarkon even did. Why do you ask?” _

_ “Lotor and father never tell me anything about her,” Keith sighed, taking another bite of his food, “Whenever I ask, Father acts like he didn’t even hear me and Lotor gets too emotional to say anything.” He turns to Haggar, “I was hoping that you could tell me a little more about her…” _

_ “Of course…” Haggar’s smile grew as she looked down at her lap, her eyes heavy with a feeling Keith can even begin to interpret, “She was such a kind woman, beautiful as well. She loved her work more than anything and everyone around her loved her dearly.” _

_ “How did she and father meet?” Keith asked her quietly. _

_ “She worked at the castle,” Haggar replied to Keith, her voice just a quiet as his, “Zarkon had only been king for a handful of years. Your mother didn’t do anything too special, just worked as a servant. However, Zarkon couldn’t help but feel enraptured by her. Little did he know, your mother had developed a forbidden crush. It took about a year before they got together.” _

_ “What…” Keith hesitated for a moment, “What did she look like?” _

_ “Tan skin, beautiful deep purple hair… eyes as golden as the sun.” Haggar looked over at him, quiet for a minute before she spoke up, “She loved you, you know. She loved you very much. I can only imagine how she must’ve felt when she disappeared…” The older Altean looked away, “Wondering how her husband was doing, if anyone was there to take care of her newborn baby…” _

_ “You were there,” Keith said to her without hesitation, “You were always there.” _

_ Haggar looked surprised for a moment, looking over at Keith with a surprised expression, before she smiled softly, “She was my dearest friend… and your father…” she shook her head, “If your mother couldn’t be there, than I thought that at least I could.” _

_ “And I couldn’t be more happy.” Keith smiled at her. _

_ “That’s… actually part of the reason why I came here, other than to give you some food.” Keith gave her a questionable look as the women went to detach something from her pant belt. She held it out in front of her so Keith could get a good look at it. _

_ While the item was hidden in a secure case, it… looked like a blade, a dagger maybe. The blade, while covered up, was thick and short with a longer, completely black handle. Other than that, Keith could see many of the other details of the blade, and looked up at Haggar. She seemed to understand what Keith was wanting and nodded, giving him permission to get the blade out. _

_ Keith slowly grabbed it and gripped the handle tightly before he allowed himself to slowly pull the dagger out of its case. Keith was immediately fascinated by it. While the crossguard was completely wrapped up im some kind of bandage and was stuck on tight, the blade was as shiny as it was sharp, a purple shade illuminating from it.  _

_ As interested as Keith was about the blade, Keith found himself feeling confused. Why would Haggar give him this, especially after Zarkon forbade Keith from having or using any kind of weapon? And what did this blade have to do with his mother? Was… was this blade hers? Did it belong to her? _

_ “Why are you giving me this?” Keith asked, looking up from the blade to look at Haggar. _

_ “It was your mother’s,” She explained, her voice sounding much more raspy than usual, like it was hard for her to say, “This is a very special blade, nothing like any other blade you will ever find. I wanted to give it to you a lot sooner but,” she giggled, “I don’t think giving a child a blade is the best idea in the world.” _

_ Keith chuckled a little, “Yeah. Knowing me, I probably would’ve stabbed someone with it, even if I didn’t mean it.” _

_ “I’m trusting you to take care of it,” Haggar placed her hands on top of Keith’s that were clasped on top of the handle of the blade, “This was your mother’s, after all. I always thought that you should have it.” _

_ “What about Lotor?” Keith asked her, one of his ears moving down in confusion, “Why can’t you just give it to him?” _

_ Haggar was quiet for a moment, her gaze avoiding his before she looked up at him, “I don’t know how to put it into words. It’s like… it was meant to be yours. Lotor was blessed enough to be able to grow up with your mother in his life. You didn’t… she trusted me to take care of it when you were just a baby… I felt like that was a sign that she wanted me to give it to you when the time was right.” _

_ Keith looked down at the blade, feeling unsure. Why would his mother want to give him the blade, and not her oldest child? Why intrust such an important blade to the younger child? Keith doesn’t think he’ll ever understand, but if his mother truly wanted him to have it… he lets out a long sigh. Keith knew that had to keep it. It was the only connection he had left with his mother. _

_ “Alright…” Keith looks up at her slowly, “I’ll keep it. I can’t promise that I won’t lose it. Father banned that I be seen with any weapons. If anyone catches me with this, I’ll be begging for my life.” _

_ “I trust you,” Haggar simply replied, “You’re smarter than you think you are. I know you’ll find a way to keep it hidden.” _

_ “I hope so…” _

-

(August 3rd, 7:19am…)

Keith groaned and grumbled as his dream faded away. His vision was blurry for a minute before his eyes adjusted to what was in front of him. For a moment, he was confused because he didn’t recognize anything that was in the room, but as regained consciousness, all the horrible, unforgettable memories of the last few days came rushing to him like he was hit by a bullet.

Slowly, he lifted himself up and looked around the Altean prince’s bedroom. Of course, being as big as the room is, it was going to be at least a little plain, but it still managed to be full of life and personality with almost no effort, from the furniture he chose to the colors that decorated the room. Keith noticed that a lot of the furniture was blue, so perhaps Lance liked blue…

As Keith looked around the room, he noticed the prince himself buttoning up a pure white t-shirt next to a deep blue loveseat. The chair had some new clothes draped against the armrest and had the clothes Lance wore yesterday dangling on the edge of a hamper. His white hair looked completely groomed and it appeared as though he had been awake for a short amount of time, or at least enough for him to get himself all dressed.

Keith groaned and rubbed his eyes, which caused Lance to glance over at the bed. The boy stretched his arms up to stretch and rubbed his dark hair between his fingers. If there is one thing Keith would never get used to, it was having a roommate. He may have had an older brother, but they both still had their own rooms and he was not quite fond of the idea of his privacy being invaded twenty-four-seven.

Speaking of, not only did Keith have to deal with a roommate, but he had to share a damn bed with the guy. It was one thing to share a room, but another to share a bed. It didn’t make it any better that the guy seemed to have a habit of sleeping with his shirt off. He didn’t think he’d ever get to sleep with the fact that a shirtless man was sleeping next to him. Even if they were in a king sized bed, it still flustered Keith a little.

Keith perked up a little when he heard the sound of Lance from the other side of the room, “Good morning, Keith. Did you sleep well?”

“Uh… yeah, I did,” said Keith, still a little sleepy, “Thank you…”

“Ah, that’s good…” Lance trailed off, grabbing a nice, blue jacket and pulling it on. He turned towards Keith and looked over at him, “Better get ready, buddy.”

The Galra glanced over at the clock and sighed, “It’s not even seven thirty in the morning…”

“Welcome to my world, Galra Boy,” Lance rolled his eyes, “Been doing this for years.”

“But why do I have to come?” Keith asked, kicking his feet off the bed to sit on the edge of it.

“Got amnesia or something?” Lance quirked his brow, “Don’t you remember what my father said?”

“That I have to follow you around all day?” Keith groaned, remembering the sound of King Alfor’s voice from the afternoon before.

“I know, I’m not exactly having a ball about this, either.” Lance walked over to the bed, “Soooo… might wanna put some half decent clothes on.”

The boy glanced down at what he was wearing, which was just some t-shirt that was at least one size too big and some comfortable shorts. He chuckled sarcastically at Lance’s tone and stood up and walked over to the suitcase that he had leaning against the wardrobe. While he needed to unpack his things, Keith just wasn’t able to do it because it felt like he was accepting the fact that this was his new life now.

And he wasn’t quite ready yet…

With a sigh, Keith bent down and opened the huge suitcase and found himself an outfit to wear. He simply pulled out a dark grey button down and black pants. As far as Keith knew, they weren’t going to be going anywhere, so he should be okay with something this casual, at least at prince of one of the four kingdoms standards. As he pulled out the clothes, he glanced behind his shoulder to see Lance awkwardly standing at his room, looking everywhere except at Keith.

He shook his head as he walked over to the bathroom that was attached to Lance’s bedroom, figured he’d just change in there. When he closed the door behind him, Keith was left with the largest bathroom he’s ever seen. The walls were painted baby blue with hard floor and a marble sink; a large, white shower and tub combo sat against the wall. It was definitely a nice bathroom… 

Shaking his head, Keith placed the clothes on the closed toilet seat and allowed himself to strip out of his pajamas and throw on the fresh clothes he grabbed. After he threw his pants on, he heard a knock on the bathroom door. Quirking his brow, Keith grabbed his dark grey button down and shrugged it on as he replied to the knock.

“Lance?” Asked Keith.

“I hope you have plans to do something today,” Lance said through the door.

“Why?” Keith asked as he buttoned up his shirt.

“Trust me,” Lance sighed, “Just bring something to keep you entertained for like… all day.”

“All day?” Keith opened the bathroom door with his dirty clothes in his left arm and stared at Lance, “What in the world are you talking about?”

“Just bring something, okay? Anything that’ll keep you busy.”

Keith blinked at him before he threw his clothes into the hamper and went to his suitcase. He dug around in his suitcase for moment, looking around at all the items in there. A few books, his old hippo plush and… he frowned as he moved a few items to get a better look at it. His mother’s blade… Keith didn't even know why he brought it. Haggar had trusted him to take care of it and keep it hidden from everyone, including Shiro and Lotor. He’s manage to keep the blade a secret for over three years, so why stop now?

Shaking his head, Keith dug in the bag some more before he pulled out a large sized book. It was the first book of a novel series that Keith’s liked ever since he was little. On the cover was a black silhouette of a giant humanoid robot behind a blue, red, and purple galaxy with the title imprinted on the top with the author name on the bottom within the black silhouette.

It was a scientific novel series about five people who ended up in space piloting five robotic lions that form together to create Voltron, the most powerful known weapon in the universe. The concept was kind of childish, and sounded like something from a children’s picture book than a novel, but it was actually way more interesting than Keith thought after he started to read the first few chapters.

Eight books were planned for the series, and seven of them were released so far, and and the last book wouldn’t be released until at least a few months, but Keith still enjoyed looking back at the older books and re-reading them over and over again. At this point, Keith has lost count of every time he’s re-read each book. He always enjoyed the first one most, and mostly because when he started reading the series only the first book was released.

With a shrug, he pulled out the book and walked over to Lance, carrying it in his armpit, “So, what are we doing?”

Lance pointed his thumb over his shoulder so that it pointed towards his bedroom door, “You can just follow me, alright?”

Keith didn’t even get a chance to reply before the prince turned on his heels and made his way towards the bedroom door. He rolled his eyes at Lance’s attitude and walked followed the Prince. Lance went to turn the knob and stepped to the side to allow Keith to walk out first. He gave him a quick thanks before he stepped out and waited for Lance to lead Keith to… wherever they were going.

Lance turned to his left and made his way down the hallway, with Keith not too far behind. The silence between them was awkward as they continued to walk down the hallways, making Keith continue the question of where they were going. He didn’t exactly get any information about Lance, so he has no idea as to where they’re going, what they’re doing, and why. Hell, Keith didn’t even know what Lance looked like until yesterday, so he was completely clueless in this situation.

He glanced up at the prince and stared at his back for a moment, unsure if he should him. From what Keith has been able to see, Lance just has a sour attitude. Keith didn’t know if this is actually how the prince usually behaved or if this has something to do with the arrangement, but Keith didn’t think he’ll stay very long of Lance kept up this kind of behavior forever.

With a small sigh, Keith looked up, “Lance—”

“Here we are,” Lance turned on his heels, ignoring him, and before Keith knew it, they were in a different hallway, standing next to a large, brown door. 

“So… we’re going in there?” Keith asked, pointing towards the door.

“No, Keith. I came here to show off all of the castle doors,” Lance rolled his eyes with a giggle before he bent down slightly and moved close to it, eyeing it carefully, “Fascinating, isn’t it?”

Keith quirked his brow and eye Lance for a moment, not finding his little joke entertaining at all. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t mind, but Keith wasn’t in the mood for jokes, and probably won’t be until this marriage is cancels. It took a few seconds before Lance glanced a Keith to see that he didn’t find his attempt to fix the awkward tension amusing. 

“Note to self: he has so sense of humor,” Lance whispered under his breath and sighed and moved himself to stand up straight, “Go on in, buddy.”

Keith looked down at the shiny golden doorknob for a moment before he turned it and pushed the door open. When he walked inside, Keith was met with a decently large room, maybe no bigger than a school classroom. In the corner of the room facing to the door, Keith saw a large, brown table pushed up against the wall. On the wall to Keith’s left were two large, blank whiteboards. 

Sitting up near the board in the middle of the room was a single desk, one that didn’t look comfortable to sit at in any way. The table was dark brown while the chair was red, but the chair was small and Keith was surprised if anyone would be able to comfortably sit on it. The floor was a dark blue carpet while the wall was white and made to look like they were stacked bricks. 

Speaking of the walls, Keith blinked for a moment at the way the room was decorated. Scattered everywhere on the walls were posters, usually ones Keith expected to see in an elementary school classroom. Some had posters of cats or dogs with some phrase on it and some had short inspirational quotes like “Be Yourself, an original is better than a copy”, while others had silly school puns on them. It honestly made Keith seriously question what they were doing in a classroom that looked like it was meant for a seven year old.

Glancing towards the large desk in the corner, Keith finally noticed someone who was sitting at desk. He recognized the Altean, for Keith remembered seeing him in the room when he first met Lance. They had pale skin and bright, orange hair with a large, well-groomed mustache. His hair was slicked back and wrinkles around his face showed off his age. He was wearing a bright, baby blue button down with an tie-dyed tie and khaki pants and a black belt. He had what appeared to be reading glasses on as he read some papers that were on his desk.

Lance managed to catch the older Altean’s attention by walking forward and calling out to him, “Coran! Here I am!”

The Altean perked up, a smile decorating his face, “Ah, Lance,” he stood up and walked over towards the smaller desk, “You came early, now?”

“Yeah,” Lance sighed and flopped down in the chair without much of a care, “Might as well, right?”

“But you’re never early,” Coran pointed out, “at least not this early.”

“Figured I’d come early and show Keith the ropes of my day to day life,” Lance flicked his head towards Keith.

Coran blinked for a moment before he turned towards the door to look at Keith, who was just standing by the door, holding his book and awkwardly waiting for some assistance from Lance, Coran, or just about anyone. Keith felt silly and clueless for just standing there doing nothing, but it’s not like Lance gave Keith any idea what he was supposed to do.

“Ah! You must be Keith, right?” Coran walked up to him, offering a hand shake.

Keith nodded and took Coran’s hand and shoke it, “Yes… you’re Coran, yes?”

“So someone has heard of me before?” The man grinned, his eyes glowing, “Yes, I’m Coran, Alfor’s advisor. I never got a chance to introduce myself yesterday.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Keith smiled, “I’d introduce myself but… I think you already know,” he chuckled a little.

Coran laughed, a bright grin on his face, “No formal introduction necessary,”

“So, um…” Keith looked past Coran’s shoulder and around at the room, “What are we doing here?”

The older Altean blinked at him for a moment before he looked over his shoulder at Lance, an almost angry or cross expression covering his face from what Keith could see. He mumbled under his breath, “I see someone didn’t give him much of an introduction.”

Lance perked up and quirked a brow at Coran, “What?”

The Altean sighed and shook his head, turning his attention back to Keith, “Since Alfor prefers that you and Lance spend as much time together as possible in hopes the two of you grow closer, he asked that you stay with Lance for the time being, right?”

“Yeah…” Keith nodded, “But that doesn’t really explain what we’re doing here.”

“Well, since Lance here decided not to give you any information, than I guess I’ll have to explain for him,” Coran turned around and gestures to the room, “Obviously, this is classroom,” he chuckled at his joke.

“I can see that…” Keith mumbled, glancing around the room once again, “But why are we here? Are… you like some kind of teacher, too?”

“You could say that, yes,” Coran nodded, walking over towards the whiteboard, “As you may be aware, Lance will be the one taking over the Altean kingdom once his father passes.”

“Yes,” Keith nodded, but he tilted his head to the side slightly, looking over at Coran, “But what does that have to do with us being in a classroom?”

Keith could hear Lance sigh out a groan, moving himself to sit up more, “Coran, quit teasing the guy and just tell him.”

“I am!” Coran cried out defensively, turning around to face Lance, but than shook his head and allowed himself to continue, “To put it into simple terms, when someone takes over their kingdom, they don’t just sit up upon their thrown cluelessly and learn the ropes as they go. Which is why we are here!”

“So… this class is kind of like… a class to learn how to rule a kingdom?” Keith looked over at Coran like he was crazy.

“Precisely!” The older Altean grinned, “I’m also in charge of Lance’s basic education as well, so don’t be surprised if you hear any random basic knowledge.”

“If I hear…?” Keith shook his head, “Wait… so, I pretty much have not only follow Lance around, but I have to sit through these… classes on how to rule a kingdom?”

“Right again!” Coran smiled and walked over to Keith, placing a hand on his shoulder, “But don’t worry, you don’t have to participate if you really don’t want to. I set up a table against the wall over there for you to sit at for the time being.”

Looking up, Keith once again looked at the large, dark brown table that sat at few meters away from Coran’s desk. It was pressed against the wall near a window and it had a nice, black leather office chair sitting behind it. Keith chuckled a little at the situation, seeing Lance sitting in an old, crummy school desk while Keith gets a nice chair and table for himself. If anything, Keith had figured it would’ve been the other way around.

Speaking of, Lance looked over at the set up and grumbled, “Why does he get a nice chair while I get this stiff desk?”

“Because, my boy,” Coran leaned down in front of the desk to look Lance in the eye, “It’s not his fault that he has to follow you like a dog. He might as well feel comfortable.”

“I’m suffering too, Coran!” Lance pretended to faint in his desk, that famous sarcastic tone filling the room, “All of this guilt I feel for having Keith following me around! It’s just too much to bare!” The boy couldn’t help but snicker at his own act.

Coran glared at Lance before he quickly slapped Lance on the head, “Cut that out, boy! Focus!”

Lance let out a small, fake whine but it was interrupted when he heard the sound of giggling. He looked over at the noise and saw Keith standing there, a bright smile on his face. The Galra’s eyes were glowing with joy and he used one of his hands to try and cover up his laughter, but even a blind man could still see the way he giggled at both of their silly behavior.

Unknown to Keith, Lance stared for a second and he left his cheeks heat up at the sight. Lance didn’t know if it were because Keith was actually cute or the fact that this is really the first time Lance has ever gotten this close to an Omega for this long. Of course, Lance has been around Omegas before, several times before, but… Keith was different. Lance didn’t really know how, but he was.

Maybe it was because Lance was going to mate with Keith… it made sense. Coran had told Lance that sometime after Allura was born, Alfor and their mother began to fall in love… but that was after they had a child. It could also be due to the fact that Keith was going to be with him at all times. Hell, the guy had slept in Lance’s bed with him not even twenty-four hours ago, so it could very well be his body reacting to the fact that an unmated Omega is within his range…

Lance nearly jumped out of his seat when he felt Coran slap in the head once again, only this time harder than last time and a smirk accompanied him as well. He knew that smirk all too well. Lance glared up at the older Altean, the blush from earlier growing brighter after Coran noticed it there. The last thing he needed was Coran teasing him because Lance just got a little… distracted by something.

“Not a word…” Lance growled quietly to him, making sure it was quiet enough so that Keith didn’t hear him.

The older Altean shook his head before he turned over Keith, “Now, if you don’t mind Keith, I’d like to start Lance’s lessons for today.”

“O-Oh, yeah… go ahead, I’ll just…” Keith glance over at the table, “…Be over there.”

Keith quickly made his way over to the table and sat down in the office chair, placing his book down on top of it. Unsure of what to do, Keith allowed himself to open up the book to the prologue and begin reading the book. He knew the words of this book so well Keith swore that he could recite the entire thing. The prologue was one that always saddened Keith, especially when he found out more about the character’s story.

He smiled softly as he felt the pages of the book. He’s read them all so many times and yet Keith still finds himself smiling every time he begins to read the first page. They always made him feel so happy and he found himself reading the books whenever he felt sad… which made Keith feel glad that he brought all the books of the series with him.

As Keith read, he heard Coran’s voice, but was surprised when he heard the older Altean address him, “Oh, Keith! I didn’t know you read Voltron!”

Keith glanced up at Coran, who was standing next to his table with a grin on his face, “O-Oh yeah… I’ve been reading it since I was a child…”

Coran’s grin only grew, “My old friend is actually the author of that series!”

Keith blinked up at him in surprise, “Really…?”

“Yup!” Coran cheered, “Last book is being released in a few months!”

“I know…” Keith looked down and smiled fondly, “I can’t wait for the last book… it seems so unbelievable…”

“Coran!” Keith heard Lance call out annoyingly from the desk he sat at, a grumpy look on his face, “Aren’t we supposed to be starting class?”

“Ah, yes, right,” Coran cleared his throat, “Just one second, Lance!”

Coran leaned down and spoke to Keith in a quiet voice, making sure Lance didn’t hear him, “I must give my apologies about Lance’s… behavior. He’s been very stressed out about this whole thing, so please don’t be offended.”

Keith nodded at Coran, a slight blush on his face, “I-I get it… I’m not upset. Now get to your class before the man blows a fuse.”

“Try to relax; you’ll be here for awhile.” Coran stood up and walked over to the front of the room and let himself start the class.

With a small sigh, Keith looked down to continue reading his book as he heard Coran talking in the background with a few collective sighs from Lance. Lance was right: they were going to be here for a while.

-

(5:55pm…)

As the last five minutes of class for today began to end, Lance felt himself throwing his heads in his hands. For some reason, this class felt way more annoying and stressful than it normally is. He couldn’t explain why, but Lance felt like biting his lip and breaking something. Maybe it was because of this whole situation… or maybe it was because that Keith was here. Lance couldn’t explain why.

When Lance heard the news, of course he was furious. He didn’t even know how long he had cried, or shouted at nothing, or gritted his teeth, but he knew it was for a while, maybe even for the rest of the day. Lance was confused, frustrated at the situation… but he had no idea how to feel about Keith. He hated this entire arranged marriage… but his feelings for Keith were very mixed.

From Lance has been able to see, Keith was a nice guy. He seemed really independent, but very shy around unfamiliar people. Despite Lance giving him a bad attitude, he didn’t seem to act up, at least not yet. Lance wanted to hate Keith, to scream at him and let out all the feelings about this whole thing, but he couldn’t… this wasn’t Keith’s fault. This wasn’t either of their faults. If anything, they were the victims… but Lance didn’t know what else he could do. He knew exactly what would happen if he yelled at his father… he knew all too well.

He glanced behind his shoulder to look at Keith. His face was buried in that book he brought and he could’ve sworn Keith was almost finished with that book within the eight hours they’ve been sitting here. Lance didn’t even know how Keith was able to keep his focus on that book for so long. While Lance does find time to read every now and then, not even he could keep himself busy with a book for nearly the whole day. 

Every now and then during class when Coran would teach or Lance would do work, he’d glance over at Keith and see him grinning ear to ear as he read the book. His eyes would glow sometimes as he read the pages and Lance could’ve sworn he saw those pointy ear stick up as he smiled. Lance found himself blushing slightly everytime he glanced over at him and tried his best to keep focus on his work the whole time.

Sometimes he got called out by Coran whenever he get super focused on his work and he’d press down on the pencil too hard to try and keep himself busy. When he looked over at Keith, he’d look up from his book and sometimes a small smirk would form on his face, his eyes glowing with mischief. This would cause Lance to scrunch his brows and turn back to his work, trying his best not to focus too much on Keith, but it was inevitable.

No matter how much he focused on his work, Keith couldn’t escape Lance’s mind. The man who Lance was supposed to mate with was sitting in the same room as him, doing nothing but reading some old book. He wondered what it was about that book that kept Keith reading for most of the day. From what he heard, Keith said he’s been reading the book ever since he was a child, so how does he keep such interest in a book he’s probably read hundreds of times?

Yes, Lance has found himself going back to read a few of his favorite books again, but to read the same book they’ve been since they were a child? Lance thought it had to be a great book if it meant Keith could tolerate reading it so many times. That or Keith is a complete book worm, which seemed very likely at this point. 

Lance nearly jumped in his seat when he heard Coran’s cheerful voice ringing in his ears, “You did well today, Lance! Just…” he looked down at the sheets of paper Lance had written on, “Just try not to press too hard on the paper next time. You may leave now if you wish.”

Lance growled slightly and rolled his eyes at Coran when he heard a small chuckle from Keith behind him. He turned around and glare slightly at Keith, not enjoying his laughing. When Keith noticed Lance’s face, Lance sworn he saw Keith visibly flinch, his face scrunching up a little, almost in fear before went back to his book, lowering his head so that the book covered his face. Why did he react like that?

The Altean stared at Keith for a moment, feeling unsure of why Keith looked so freaked out. Yes, Lance was a little annoyed at Keith for giggling at him, but it was just a little laugh, and Lance has to admit it was a little silly from someone else’s perspective, but he was still pondering on why Keith appeared so… afraid.

Shaking his head, Lance allowed himself to slide his things under the desk, where he kept most of the supplies he used for class. As coran sat at his desk doing work, Lance stood up and walked over to Keith’s table. The boy still had his face buried in his book and Keith could see that way his eyes slowly scanned to the side as he continued to read each line. When Lance looked over at the book, he saw that Keith was at least almost three-fourths of the way through the book. 

“Uh, Keith?” Lance looked down at him.

Keith’s eyes widen slightly and he looked up at Lance with his large, deep violet eyes. He looked almost clueless, as though he had been completely unaware of his surroundings since the moment he started reading the first page. Lance never realized how large and pretty Keith’s pupils were…

Shaking his head and removing the thoughts from his mind, Lance laned slightly against the table, “Class is over, so…”

“O-Oh, right,” Keith nodded before he folded the corner of the page he was on and closed it. With a small sigh, Keith stood up and grabbed the book, holding it to his chest like a schoolgirl before he looked up at Lance, as if expecting him to tell him what to do next.

“Well… I guess you can do whatever you want for the rest of the day…” Lance looked around the room awkwardly.

“You don’t do anything else in your freetime?” Keith asked, an ear shooting down in confusion.

“Well, I hang out with a few of my friends around the castle sometimes.” Lance shrugged, “But they’re always busy with work, so we can’t spend as much time together as we’d like to.”

“That’s too bad…” Keith trailed off, trying his best to keep up the conversation, “My friends were always pretty busy too… but they always tried to make time to hang out with me…”

“That’s nice…” Lance looked down at his feet, an awkward blush appearing on his cheeks, “A-Anyway… you can pretty much do whatever you want for the rest of the day until dinner at eight, so you have a few hours.”

“Do you do anything else other than hang out with your friends?” Keith looked at him.

“With classes like this, I don’t exactly have a lot of time for other things all the time.” Lance sighed, making his way over towards the exit, “Father prefers that me and my sister wind down after dinner, so I don’t have as much free time as I’d like.”

Keith followed Lance out of the classroom as they entered the hallway, “I was the opposite. I had so much free time that I didn’t know what to do with it. I’m not complaining, but still.”

“Well, you still have it,” Lance groaned, “You may have to sit with me during the classes, but you don’t have to participate. You just sit there and do whatever you want all day.”

“I-I suppose…” Keith trailed off, focusing on following Lance back to what he assumed to be their room.

Keith began to awkwardly trail behind Lance as the walked in the hallways. As much as Keith wanted to get along with Lance, he was making little effort to do so. He was talking to Keith, so that was good, but he was still worried about whether or not Lance actually likes him or not. At least he was talking with him without a completely sour attitude anymore.

Maybe things will start to get better for the better.

-

(7:58pm...)

As Keith and Lance walked into the dining hall, Lance allowed himself to glance around at all the large, long tables in the room. He never understood why they had so many tables in the dining hall. They did host a good amount of their dinner parties in this room, but its been at least a year or two since they’ve ever hosted one at the castle, so Lance never understood why they always kept them out.

Alfor was sitting down at his usual large chair with Allura standing next to him, having a quick conversation with her father. All of the clean pieces of silverware set in their proper places with cups set to their right. Even in his own home, Lance still had to grow up with a background of edicate, especially when it came to eating. Lance has been to his fair share of dinner parties, so eating edicate was extremely important.

When Allura and Alfor noticed their entrance, Allura went over to her respective seat at her father’s left, while Lance went to his father’s right. In most of the kingdom’s culture, the heir to the current ruler will sit to their right when they eat, whether it be at their own home or out during a party. If there was no current heir, then their respective older child would sit to their right. It was common for even high class people to participate in this as well.

As Lance took his seat to his father’s right, he blinked for a moment when he saw Keith was just standing there, looking incredibly uncomfortable. He had an awkward stance, slowly holding his left arm and rubbing it up and down. His eyebrows were scrunched up and Lance could see in Keith’s eyes that he was clearly uncomfortable and unsure.

Lance wasn’t sure why Keith was feeling so uncomfortable. They all ate lunch together with Shiro and the guards yesterday, so he wasn’t sure why he appeared so uncomfortable now. The only thing Lance could come up with was that Keith felt more relaxed and comfortable around the guards since they were most likely people he were familiar with. They’ve only ate together in the dining hall once, and the other two times their food was brought to them, so maybe Keith felt unsure of what to do now. 

“Keith?” Allura got up and looked over at the boy, “Is everything alright? You don’t look well.”

“Uh— yeah,” Keith nodded, looking over at Allura, “Yeah… just feeling a little uneasy.”

“Do you feel nauseous?” Alfor asked, a worried look crossing his face.

“N-No…” Keith shook his head, “I-It’s nothing, I’m fine. I think I’m just a little tired…”

“Go on, sit down, and you can rest after you get something to eat,” Allura wrapped her arm around Keith’s shoulder and took her around the table to an empty chair next to Lance, “Go on, sit down and try to relax,”

Lance glanced up and over to his left to see Keith taking his seat next to him. From what Lance could tell, Keith seemed very flustered about getting everyone’s attention and he kept looking down at his lap as he fumbled with his thumbs. He looked very embarrassed, but everyone just seemed very worried about Keith.

“Hey, are you really okay?” Lance leaned over to whisper to Keith, “You looked really stressed over there…”

“Y-Yeah… I’m okay,” Keith nodded, his entire face lighting up with a blush, “I just… n-nevermind.”

Lance blinked at him for a moment before he dismissed Keith’s behavior, figuring he didn’t feel comfortable talking about it. He knew all too well how annoying it can be when someone insists to tell you something you don’t want to talk about, so Lance chose to dismiss his behavior unless he really wanted to say something.

When the clock struck eight, a small group of Alteans came walking in from the far end of the dining hall, each one of them carrying a plate of food. Lance couldn’t see where it was from here, but it smelled like grilled fish. Each of the Alteans went up to the four of them, setting a plate down in front of each of them. Each of them a quick bow before they departed back into the kitchen.

As they left, two more came out with them. One of them had a large bottle of wine, while another had a pitcher of iced water. The Altean poured the wine for Allura and Alfor, while the other gave Keith and Lance water. Lance couldn’t wait until he was older so he could try some alcohol. As much as he wanted to try some, he knew better. Besides, Lance was only eighteen and had only a few more years left to go.

After the Alteans left, everyone began to eat their food. The room was completely silent, and that was something Lance was used to. Unlike most of the common people’s family dinners, theirs were always so quiet, like the life has been drained from each of them. Occasionally while they ate, one of them would strike a quick conversation with someone, but it never lasted for long. All three of them were so used to eating in silence that it just came natural to them and it didn’t feel awkward.

Keith, on the other hand, Lance could smell the awkward tension coming from him. It could very well be due to the fact that he already had an awkward moment just a moment ago, but the smell remained and he could tell that Keith was feeling uncomfortable with the silence.

Allura seemed to notice this and thought it would be nice to start a conversation, “Keith, how was your first fill day here? I hope your day has been good.”

Keith appeared surprised by Allura’s voice, and looked up from his plate of food, “Oh, yeah, it has… and what about you?”

“It’s been a little more exciting around here,” She shrugged as she finished a bite of food, “I suppose having you around has made things a little more lively around here.”

“What makes you say that?” Lance suddenly asked, unsure of why he even opened his mouth.

Allura paused for a moment, staring at Lance before she placed her fork down on the table, “Well, it’s not everyday that we see a Galra around here. And to add to that: a Galra is living here. I guess everyone is just excited about having you here.”

“I-I guess…” Keith mumbled, “I’m not anything special though.”

“What are you saying?” Allura blinked at him like he was crazy, “You’re a Galra prince! And not only that, but you’re an Omega! Such news is bound to get everyone a little wilded up.”

“Allura,” Alfor turned to look down at his daughter, a neutral expression on his face, “I do not think that is the most… appropriate topic for dinner.”

“Sure seems like it to me, I believe,” Allura looked over at Lance, a small smirk tugging her lips, “I’m sure Lance is extremely excited about having him around.”

“What are you saying?” Lance glared slightly at his sister.

“What Alpha wouldn’t be going crazy at the thought of an Omega sleeping in their bed?” Allura’s statement caused Lance to slightly choke on his food and throwing a coughing fit.

“Allura, that’s enough out of you,” Even Alfor couldn’t contain it and was caught smiling a little.

Lance could see the blush that covered Keith’s entire face, shoulders, and neck and only continued to travel down his body. He was able to calm himself down with a drink of his water and Lance found himself heavily glaring at his sister, who was giggling behind her hand like a child who just played a prank.

“Allura,” Lance gritted his teeth, “Not. Funny.”

“I know, just look at Keith,” She giggled once again as she gestured to Keith from the other side of the table, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he were a tomato!”

Lance will admit: she wasn’t wrong. The boy was so flustered that he kept his head low so that his bangs covered his face. The blush remained shamelessly all over his body and Lance could’ve sworn he saw a slight tremble that only lasted for a moment before he sat still. While not much of his face was visible, Lance could see the way he made a thin line with his lips as he occasionally would slightly bit it.

“Leave him alone, Allura,” Lance sighed, “Poor guy looked like he’s about to explode.”

At that, Keith lifted his head up. There were no signs of tears or panicing, but he did look pissed. If anything, Keith must’ve just felt really embarrassed and wanted to hide his face. Most of the blush from his body was gone, but was instead brighly showcased on his cheeks alone. Keith sat himself up a little and he shared the same glare that Lance had as they turned to aim it at Allura.

“Alright, alright, I give you mercy,” She chuckled.

“How about we just eat?” Alfor suggested almost sarcastically, “Allura, no more teasing your brother like that during dinner.”

Allura pouted slightly, but nodded, “Fine.”

Lance found himself looking down at Keith, who ate the remainder of his food in silence. There was something about seeing Keith got so flustered like that made Lance take a little interest in him. As far as Lance has seem of Keith, he was shy, but had a tough exterior around just about everyone. Seeing him share an identical glare with Lance as they looked at Allura made him curious.

It’s only been one day since Keith has arrived at the castle, and if Lance had to be honest, he didn’t know what to expect from Keith, but he had a feeling that once Keith starts to get more comfortable around here, things may very well change for the better.

For Lance’s sake, and Keith’s as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically a filler chapter? What? I don’t know what you’re taking about—  
> Anyways,,,,  
> I update every Friday! So check back next Friday!  
> IG: ThoseSpaceGays


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY FOR RELEASING THIS LATE MY WEEKEND HAS BEEN VERY BUSY BECAUSE OF MY BIRTHDAY—

(August ninth, 4:40am…)

The last week have been… strange. At least a lot more strange than Keith was expecting it to be.

Keith had read books about how Alphas were very protective with their Omegas or Omegas they were planning to mate with. He couldn’t say how it is now, since he hasn’t been able to personally experience it by the time he understood it and as a kid; that was the last thing on his mind. So yes, Keith was expecting Lance to be up his ass about everything, constantly checking up on him, making sure he was well and enjoying his time here. But, he wasn’t like that at all.

Sure, Keith had to basically follow him around because he didn’t have much of a choice, but Lance never said, well, anything…most of the time he didn’t at least. Since the king had ordered for Keith to stay with Lance at all times in hopes of the two getting closer by the time Keith’s next heat came, he didn’t have a choice regarding this.

At first, Lance clearly didn’t like it all, even an old blind man could see that coming from a mile away. Keith could tell that he wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of having someone follow him around all day. He acted really pretty sour to him most of the time, but overall Lance always kept a straight face and he never seemed to lash out at him, other than some annoyed comments. He knew that Keith was only doing what he had to.

By the time dinner was over, Lance usually just sat around in his room and the two were left to their own activities. Lance didn’t really  _ ignore _ Keith, but he didn’t go out of his way to make sure he was having a good time either. They’d usually say good morning or good night and Lance will talk about what he has to do today, and sometimes they make small talk, but other than that, Lance left Keith be.

Keith wasn’t necessarily complaining here. When he father explained what he had to do, he made it sound like Keith was going to be this guy’s devoted slave. From making sure he was comfortable, to… other things that made Keith's skin crawl. Of course, his father was lost in the old ways of how things worked, so it's no surprised he may have just  _ slightly _ exaggerated when it came to Keith’s new life.

Keith found himself attending a lot of these… classes that Lance took. Lance had said they were very boring and he was actually right. Keith didn’t even partake in the classes, but he’s heard some of the things Coran taught him and saw how much paperwork Lance did and it is… annoying. He knew that Lotor too has had to do something similar to this, so Keith’s a little lucky that his life ended up the way it was.

If it wasn’t these classes, than it was that Keith simply observed for more hands-on experience. Keith never liked reading during these meeting when he had to go with Lance, but both Coran and the king had assured Keith that it was okay if he wished to read or partake in any other activities during the class. Alfor even made a little joke about how would rather read than attend the meetings. Alfor isn’t such a bad guy.

Another thing that’s been awkward for both parties is that they have to share a  _ bed _ . Lance’s bed is fairly large, so there is just enough room for the two of them to have some space. Usually when they go to bed they just wish each other a good night, turn to face away from each other and went to bed.

This morning, Keith woke up a little early than usual, about a few hours earlier than they need to. Lance was still fast asleep, his back facing Keith. He didn’t move much in his sleep, but his snoring was a little loud. All Lance wore was some pajama pants, shirtless as usual, which didn’t help this situation at all. Keith sat up for a moment and stared down at his hands that laid on his lap. Usually when Keith woke up in the middle of the night, he could never get back to sleep. So then, he would just distract himself until the lack of sleep he usually had caught up to him and he’d take a nap.

It was only a lack of a few hours of sleep, so Keith should be fine. Worse comes to worse he could just sleep during those classes Coran teaches. He’s sure neither one would mind. For now, Keith stretched down to reach for something under the bed. When he pulled himself back up, a thick notebook was in his hands. The cover was red, Keith’s favorite color, and it had several pages, all blank except for the first one.

Coran had gave it to him the first day he arrived. It was a surprise to Keith, but he accepted the gift. The older Altean said that when he was young, he liked to write down things that happened throughout the days in a journal, how he felt about the given situations he went through. He suggested that Keith could do it too since his life has changed so drastically in such short time, and that writing down his feelings might make him feel better, or rather help him understand them.

Keith opened the first book and reread the first entry. It was one he wrote right before bed on his first night here…

_ Day 1 --9/2/xx -- 10:44pm _

_ A few days ago, I had received news from my old friend, Shiro, that I was going to becomes mates with some prince and when my next arrives in a few months… Not exactly the best news I’ve ever received.  My last heat had just ended just a handful of days, maybe even a week, before I got the news… so I still have some time before that occurs. _

_ Even now, as I sit in this dumb Prince’s bed writing this, I’m still angry. At what exactly? I’m not even sure myself. Perhaps King Alfor, for accepting my father’s offer? Or my father, for even thinking about handing me off like I didn't mean a thing to him? Or maybe even myself, for not doing anything to stop this besides moping in my room like a five year old throwing a fit? Maybe I’m even angry at Lance. He didn’t do anything, but all this hatred, fear, sadness I’ve held deep in my heart doesn’t seem to care anymore. All I want to is to scream and run away from my problems. That will only make things worse, but I never listened to that voice that told me not to run. _

_ For now, I will try to deal with it, and see what happens from there. It’s only been one day so far, and there are many more to come, so anything can happen. _

_ -Keith _

 

Keith had to admit it felt good writing all that down. It was a lot similar to reading, except he was the writer, and could change it anyway he wanted to. He never tried writing for fun, was never able to come up with a creative story, but maybe he could keep writing in this, a little log book to show everyone how his experience had been.

With a small smile, Keith carefully stood up and walked over to Lance's desk. There he had an thin inkpen he could write with. Sitting down on the large chair and opening the book to the next blank page, Keith began to write, whispering every word out loud as he hand moved.

“Day seven… August ninth, 4:52am…” Keith kept his voice low, “Today marks my first week here. And… I’m not too sure what to say. My father had things sound like I was suppose to bend over backwards for Lance, do everything he asks and make sure he’s satisfied. But… things have taken an alternative route, and for the better.”

Keith didn’t even realize his voice level began to rise as he spoke, “According to Lance, I had been ordered to follow him around. Well, I kind of expected that, but what I didn’t expect was how Lance… treated me. It was so strange, almost unnatural, or rather unexpected to me… it took me time to even be able to process it.”

“He leaves me alone, to put it in simple words…” Keith says aloud, still feeling shocked, “All he does is say good morning, good night, and sometimes tells me about what he has to do today. And that's it! Father gave me the impression that I was suppose to do everything for this man, but he hasn’t make me do anything. When he has talked to me, it’s only simple words… and occasional sour comments but hey it’s been than what it could be.”

“It’s… a little nice.” Keith smiled to himself as he keeps writing, “I was always left alone at home, even before I presented. Since my brother is an Alpha, he will be the respective ruler. Even if I did turn out to be an Alpha, my brother is older still. I was used to being left alone, doing what I please. Sure, when I presented, some of these things were robbed from me, but I was still never bothered…”

“I was expecting this Prince to constantly worry and pester me… or even forbid me from doing basically everything like father...” Keith paused, and smiled again. “But he doesn’t… I may have to follow him around, but nonetheless, he doesn’t restrict me from anything… maybe… just  maybe… things won’t be as bad as it was back home…”

-

Lance blinked for a moment when he woke up to the sound of a slightly distant voice. It took a moment to process who the voice belonged to, since he just woke up and has barely been able to register the voice that was flowing through the room like a calm stream. When he began to recognized the voice, Lance’s eyes widen. It was Keith… what was he doing up? It was still a little early, so what would be doing? And who is he talking to?

Lance sat up slightly, and his eyes trailed over to where the source of Keith’s voice was. When his eyes adjusted, the prince saw Keith sitting at his desk. The Galra was bent over it, writing down something as he spoke in a low voice, but loud enough for Lance to hear. He was talking about… him. Lance couldn’t hear all of it, but he mentioned things about Lance and how he didn’t bother Keith at all.

The main reason why Lance has left Keith alone throughout the day is because Lance figured he was going through a lot. He may have been going through the same thing Lance was, but it must’ve been a thousand times worse for the Omega. How would anyone else feel if out of nowhere they were told that they were going to get be married to a total stranger?

So yeah, Lance left Keith alone for the most part so that he didn’t have to put more stress on the poor guy than what he already has. It was hard for Lance, having to marry some random guy… but Keith… Lance couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard this all must be for him. Lance didn’t think it was a big deal, but Keith… actually appreciates it? From what he’s saying, Keith had always been left alone, never pestered, never bother, never getting much attention from his mother. He was used to it.

His original expectations were for him to suddenly be constantly bugged and always have someone paying attention to him. Keith didn’t want that. And if that will keep Keith from feeling more stressed, than Lance would do that.

The boy flinched when he heard Keith finish speaking and close his book. Panicked, Lance quickly laid back down in the same position he was and pretended he was asleep. He was begging to know what Keith was thinking... what he saw. Did Keith know he was awake? Lance felt the opposite side of the bed’s weight shift and the sound of something sliding on the floor. Staying safe, Lance kept quiet, not moving an inch until he was positive that Keith went back to bed.

Suddenly, Lance felt Keith’s finger tangle themselves into his short hair. Lance was able to keep himself still, but that doesn’t mean he was having a mental panic attack. What was Keith doing?? Why is he doing this?? Why--

“Cute…” Keith muttered, slowly drowning his fingers in the white hair.

Lance had to stop himself from flinching. Cute? Keith thought he was cute??? What the fuck?? Just a few days ago Keith wanted nothing to do with him! And now he is calling him cute?????

Suddenly, Keith’s smooth fingers began to roughly massage his scalp and oh  _ lord _ it left good. Lance bit his lip, hard, and tried his best to keep still. Keith’s fingers must’ve been made of magic because Lance was sure he had never had a head massage that felt this good. Giving in, Lance let a soft groan out, but it turned into more of a whine if anything. Even after that, his scalp still continued to be scratched, but a small giggle was released from Keith’s lips.

What the…

“I know you’re awake, you know.” Keith smirked, sinking his nails into Lance’s scalp, “Might as well get up.”

Lance’s eyes shot open and he instantly scrambled around in attempt to sit up. Pure white hair a mess, his gaze shot over to Keith, grinding his teeth and white brows furrowing as he did. Keith was… laughing. Well, it was more of a giggle since everyone was still asleep, but if not, he would've been laughing loudly. He covered part of it with his hand, but his bright violet eyes said it all. They were filled with joy and glowed vibrantly, much more colorful than the day he first met him.

Lance would never admit this out loud but… Keith looked kind of cute,  _ kind of _ . He didn’t know if it was the Alpha part of him instinctively thought Keith was an adorable Omega, but Keith was. His crazy multi-colored hair was a bigger mess than Lance’s and the way his eyes glowed whenever he felt happy, it was too cute to describe.

While Keith did called Lance cute in return… it wasn’t exactly 100% truthful. Most likely, if anything, it was an attempt to throw Lance off that alternatively failed.

Lance shook his head, trying to bring himself out of that mindset, “What the actual fuck.”

“What?” Keith said innocently, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You little…” Lance didn’t even realize he was pouting until Keith giggled again.

“Are you seriously  _ pouting _ ?” Keith smirked a litte.

This time, Lance actually looked pissed. His pout disappeared and was replaced with a small frown. His eyebrows remained furrowed and he locked his eyes with Keith, trying to see if Keith got the message.

Apparently, he did. And didn’t have the best reaction. Immediately, that smirk and playfulness in his eyes faded and was replaced with something else that didn’t help Lance’s weird feelings that he was having. It was such an odd face, at least Lance thinks so. He’s only really seen Keith with a blank expression or at least a small smile. But this… Keith looked  _ scared _ . His eyebrows were furrowed up in worry and his eyes were clouded with some kind of emotion. Fear? Sadness? Worry? Lance couldn’t tell. He had small frown on his lips, and he immediately scooted away from Lance, looking down at his hands in his lap.

“Sorry…” was all Keith was able to mutter out.

Why did he get so scared all of a sudden? Sure, Lance was a little upset with Keith’s little goofiness, but he wasn’t  _ seriously _ angry. What kind of life did Keith have before he came here? Lance didn’t even want to imagine what could’ve happened to Keith that made him this scared of angering Lance. And Lance didn’t even want to know about what the person would do to him that caused Keith to be this frightened.

“Hey…” Lance slowly reached forward, and carefully placed the tips of his fingers on Keith’s arm when he didn’t move away, “I’m not angry, you know. It was just some silly fun.” He smiled a little. “It was kind of funny.”

Keith glanced up at Lance, blinking at him for a moment, “Alright…”

He wasn’t satisfied with that response. Lance felt like he needed to know more… “You know what? Let’s talk.” Lance sat down next to Keith, who was curled up into a small ball, “What’s up? Why did you get so freaked out?”

Keith blinked for a moment and stared at Lance, a little shocked at his forwardness, “Why do you want to know?”

“Well, considering that we’re quite literally being forced to become mates…” Lance shrugged, “Might as well.”

The other prince let out a small chuckle at his explanation. Kind of cute…

“I don’t need your pity,” Keith looked at Lance.

“Hey, come on.” Lance smiled, “How about this: we both share something a little deep. Just one big rant about dumb feelings. How about it?”

Keith sat there and blinked at Lance, giving him that expression that says something like “Don’t talk to me” or “I don’t want to spill out my life story to you”. Regardless, Keith let out a long sigh and nodded, causing Lance to grin.

“You say something first, though.” Keith said.

“Ah, of course. I get it.” Lance pondered for a moment, “Well, I could go on about a lot of things. My dad, these dumbs classes, the boring meetings. But,” He looked at Keith, “I’ll talk about  _ this _ .”

“You mean  _ us _ ?” Keith said, gesturing to them both.

“Well, yeah.” Lance looked away, “I’d imagine that you think I wasn't too ecstatic about this.”

“No…” Keith sighed.

“Yeah,” Lance blinked, “It was like my entire life, all that I had been hoping for, had been thrown out the damn window and burned to a crisp.”

“Guess we have something in common, at least.” Keith whispered.

“You ever feel like that too?”

“Even before this whole…  _ thing _ … I’ve felt like that.” Keith turned to him.

“What do you mean?” Lance asked carefully.

Keith blinked for a moment, trying to put his thoughts into words, “Imagine this: One small part of your life changed. It wasn’t anything big, wasn’t anything too important. And yet, somehow, this little part of you that you have no control over suddenly takes away everything that you ever enjoyed in your life. And you are practically left with nothing.”

“Damn…” Lance said aloud before he even knew what hit him.

“Yeah.” Keith signed, “Strict parents who can’t get their head out of their ass and look at the reality of things.”

“I feel you.” Lance sighed, “My father has never been…  _ bad _ to me, but our relationship has been rocky ever since I was born. He had always treated me differently, and to this day I still can’t understand why. But after I presented, it only got worse.”

“Was he the one who made you take those weird classes?” Keith asked carefully.

“Yeah…” Lance paused. “He basically took control over my life for the most part. Since my older sister isn’t an Alpha, she can’t rule. So all that hell was put onto me. Father made me go through all this ridiculous training to prepare me, even though he will still most likely rule for a while.”

“...he never really realized it, but he took over my life.” Lance stayed quiet, avoiding Keith’s gaze, “All of that free time that I cherished deeply… gone. All of my choices and actions, taken from me. And the one thing, the one thing he had promised me since I was little, stolen from me.”

“And that is…?”

“To marry and be with someone I truly loved…”

Lance hoped that he didn’t offend Keith or upset him. Hell, he believed that Keith held some kind of grudge against him. Now, Lance didn’t hate Keith, no not one bit, but rather the two bastards that made this all possible. King Alfor and King Zarkon. They were the one to blame.

“I’m sorry…” Keith sighed.

“Don't be.” Lance turned to him, “I’m not angry at you, you know. You… you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I-I know…” Keith paused, “But I feel like I am the one to blame… I robbed you of the one choice you had in your life.”

“That wasn’t you.” Lance quickly placed his hands on Keith’s arms, and looked directly into his violet eyes, “It was our fathers who did that. They made the choice to have this whole thing arranged.”

“But--”

“But nothing.” Lance gave his arms a tight squeeze of reasurrence, “Your father made the choice of giving you away like you are some kind of  _ thing _ . And my own father accepted the offer. Not me, or you, did anything. You did nothing wrong.”

Keith blinked at him for a moment, staring dumbfoundedly at him, before he smiled. A true, genuine, smile. One that you’d give when you were actually happy. One you’d give when you see someone you know or care for. It was a real smile. And that’s all that matters to Lanxe

“T-Thanks… for the talk and all.” Keith looked up at Lance, “You’re not a bad guy.”

“Why, thanks for noticing,” Lance smirked, causing Keith to snort out a laugh, “But in all seriousness, you’re a good guy, Keith. And I don’t know about this whole marriage thing, but I can live with you.”

Keith rolled his eyes with a smirk, “I can…  _ tolerate _ you… Maybe.”

“Hey!” Keith giggled as Lance gave him a small smack with one of the pillows. His laugh only caused Lance to laugh too. 

“Why don’t we get some more rest before they physically drag our asses out of bed?” Lance suggested, already scooting down into the covers.

“Yeah. Sounds good.” Keith nodded, lying down and wrapping the blanket around his shoulders.

Keith was expecting Lance to turn away to face him like he always does, but this time, he stayed put. He kept his front turned to Keith with that smile that he always wears proudly. It gave Keith a small shock that Lance didn’t turn away and was actually willing to face him like that. Was it a good sign?”

“Goodnight, Keith.” Lance slowly closed his eyes, but his smile remained, “See you in like, two hours.”

Keith smirked a little, and as well, stayed facing Lance, “g’night, loser.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bleep bleep  
> I'm sorry that this chapter is so short,,, especially since it was late ;-;-;  
> I would gladly upload the next chapter, which is about twice as long, but procress with writing recently has been slow and I want to at least be ten chapters ahead. I may upload chapter six a day or two early but no promises :,)
> 
> Anyways,, new chapter updates every friday! UwU  
> My instagram is @Thosespacegays that has a bunch of videos edits and will occasionally announce updates and show previews.  
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to be nice and upload the next chapter early because  
> 1) I'm nice  
> 2) I finished editing this chapter like,, a day after the last chapter was released  
> 3) I'm lazy and I need to force myself to write more chapters
> 
> So enjoy!

(August 12th, 12:38pm…)

It’s only been a handful of days, but ever since that early morning talk Keith and Lance had together, they’ve slowly become more friendly with each other. Keith thought it was nice, to say the least. Since he was going to be up Lance’s ass from now on, might as well talk to the guy. It hasn’t been anything too drastic. Again, it was a slow process. The main change was Lance talking to Keith during meals. It was usually quick and simple conversations, one that someone would have with just about anyone else, but it was still nice to be able to talk to the guy Keith literally has to follow around all day.

Sometimes, Lance will try and sneak in a quick chat with Keith during his classes. It was a little funny to watch what happens, because in the few times he has done it, the outcome has been the exact same. Lance would manage to sneak in a few sentences, and then immediately get caught by Coran, who would scold him afterwards.

One class, Lance literally got up while Coran was busy at his desk to poke Keith’s cheek as he read his book. He always sat close to Lance, but never paid attention. At first, Keith didn’t do much besides give Lance a warning glare, who pouted at him each time.

Again, Lance would poke his cheek, but much faster and more frequently, just poking the exact same spot. Keith was slowly started to become even more irritated. He would say that he had a lot of patience in… _most_ situations. But Keith was about two seconds away from breaking Lance’s finger.

“What is it, Lance?” Keith turned his head to Lance, giving him a warning glare.

“How has your day been?” He asked innocently with a grin.

_Is he fucking serious?_

“It’s been fine,” Keith grunted, and returned to his book.

“Let’s do something today,” Lance smiled widened, “Come on!”

“Shouldn’t you be doing your work, Lance?!” Keith said just loud enough for Coran to hear.

The older Altean turned to Lance, glaring at him, and gave him a quick scolding about how he should be paying attention and that “he could talk to his mate later and not in the middle of a lesson”. Seeing Lance flop down and hand his head in defeat was a little funny, and Keith found himself giggling a little each time. Coran always made comments about his giggling, but never scolded him since he wasn’t necessarily suppose to participate, but still encouraged Keith to listen sometimes.

Truth be told, Keith does, well, sometimes. He mostly listens during lessons about Alphas, Omegas, and Betas. He knew a lot about Omegas, since he desperately wanted to study about them and prepare himself for anything that might happen to him, but he didn’t know a lot about Alphas and Betas.

There wasn’t much to say about Betas. They were the second most common, aside from Alphas, and they couldn’t get pregnant unless it was with a male and female Beta so they usually just run shops or other businesses, sometimes even travel out into the world to trade with others. They weren’t highly sought out by Alphas, since only the females can get pregnant, but the females still commonly mate with Alphas.

Alphas are the only ones that can impregnate an Omega, that’s just elementary. From what Keith has managed to gather during his times alone at home, Alphas are the most commonly people found aside from Betas. They have much superior strength than a Beta or Omega. Because of this, Alphas usually work for the royal guard or army. If not that, then usually heavy work like farming, and almost never run shops unless they truly wish to do so.

Of course, that’s just common Altean and Galra culture and a bit of studying on how they behave and what they usually do. However, it wasn’t really those things that caught Keith’s interest. If anything, it was the common behavior of Alphas and Omegas during their Omega’s _pregnancy_. It was actually one of the first things Coran taught Lance when Keith first came, or rather reviewed and talked slightly more in detail. While it looked like he was reading and not paying attention he carefully listened to every detail that escaped Coran’s lips as he explained how it worked.

One of those most common times, other than after a wedding, an Alpha bites an omega right at the time they plan to have children. After an Omega becomes pregnant, both parties start to have interesting side effects. Sometimes they are completely aware of them but other times they are completely oblivious to their own thoughts and actions.

The Alpha that impregnated the Omega, usually their mate, begins to become protective of their Omega. They usually are careful around strangers and only let their guard down around people they trust. Other than that, they keep an eye on their Omega like a hawk. Coran said that they get like that because their instincts tell them to protect their lover and child.

Omegas go through side effects that are just as bad. They usually become more clingy with their Alphas, and try to spend as much time with them as possible. If they’re separated from their Alpha for too long, usually only after a handful pf days, the Omega can become delirious and do whatever they can to reunite with their Alpha again. And sometimes the Alpha will go through the same thing after a longer period of time.

Keith had read something about this before. Many millenniums ago, an Alpha Galra soldier had been sent off to war, leaving his pregnant Omega alone with just the Omega’s family to care for them. According to the book, the Omega had broken out of her home and nearly died trying to find their Alpha.

Meanwhile, the Alpha began to go insane. He would talk nonsense, made bold, ridiculous claims, an would think irrationally because he didn’t know whether his Omega was safe or not. The Alpha nearly killed someone during this phase, so after that, laws were set out for an Alpha to have to visit their Omega once a week if they were expecting a child. If a war was going on, then the Alpha was required to stayed home.

It sickened Keith that soon may have to go through all of that someday. He knew that neither one of them would really be going anywhere, but Keith still felt uneasy knowing that both him and Lance could get into that mindset of they’re not careful. Right now, Keith tried not to focus on that. His next heat won’t come for over a month and a half, so he didn’t want to worry about that now.

It was now Lunch, and the food had just been served. The dining hall, unlike back home, had multiple smaller tables that scattered the hall with one slightly larger one in the center. Lance had explained that the dining hall was usually used for dinner at large parties, so they kept multiple small tables in it.

The wood tables all had white tablecloths on them. They were scattered around the room that had light grey walls and dark floors. A huge fireplace was built into one of the sides of the hall. Lance said that they usually keep it lit during fall and winter, which was coming up. Three sets of large double doors lead out to a large balcony that had a lovely view of fields and trees. Keith made a mental note to paint it sometime soon.

Lance and Keith sat next to each other on one end, while Alfor and Allura sat on the other end, the two pairs facing each other. Under normal circumstances, the next ruler would sit next to the king, but Alfor explained he wanted Lance and Keith to bond more, so he had Allura sit next to him instead.

Keith had been here for about a week and a half, and he’s never had much time to speak with Allura. With Lance’s busy schedule and having to follow said busy boy around, Keith never got many opportunities to talk to her, plus he never took the time to during meals, which is his own fault. When the food was served on their plates, as usual, it was some weird combination of some kind of multi-colored substance. Keith has no idea where they come from, but they were actually pretty good compared to their appearance.

With the food served, everyone began to eat their share of food. Overall, it was pretty silent. It was an awkward one, but Keith felt awkward. Did they always eat in such silence? His family meals were a little similar, but at least him and Lotor talked together.

Suddenly Alfor’s voice boomed around the dining hall, “So, Keith. You’ve been here for a short time. How have things been? I hope things have been suited to your liking.”

Keith flinched a little and nervously looked up at Alfor. _Don’t say anything stupid…_ “It has been fine, thank you.”

“Lance, I hope you have been treating Keith well.” Alfor turned to look at his son. “Keith such a sweet boy! He should have his future mate treat him like a god.”

“As Keith had said, father, his stay has been fine.” Lance replied blankly.

Knowing that Lance and Alfor had a rocky relationship in the past made Lance’s… tone of voice he made when speaking to him made more sense. Keith could only assume it has gotten worse since this whole affair has started.

“That may be so.” Alfor nodded, “But you still need to spend time with Keith.”

“I may be able to if my entire schedule was not filled with the notorious classes you make me take.” Lance said coldly, but calmly, “All Keith has been able to do with me is sit and observe, especially considering you are making him accompanying me wherever I go. So, unfortunately, I haven’t really been able to do that, father.”

Alfor didn’t reply, instead choosing to look down and study the table for a moment. The conversation had appeared to be over, if it wasn’t for Allura tapping her father’s arm and leaning up to whisper something into his ear. It was too quiet to hear, but whatever Allura was saying must’ve pleased the king, due to the small smile he displayed.

“Lance has come so far, father.” Keith managed to hear a little bit of Allura’s whispering, the Galra’s great sense of hearing helping him out, “It is the least we could do to reward him, and it will solve the problem at hand.”

Lance and Keith turned to look at each other, both sharing an equal feeling of shock and confusion. Just what were they planning? Allura sat down again, giving an innocent smile. While Alfor, too, had a smile as well. The princess must’ve suggested something to him that seemed to please him. And from what Keith has gathered, it is going to be living _hell_ for him and Lance.

“Lance, from now on, you shall no long take the classes.” Alfor’s statement cause Lance’s eyes to widen in shock, “You have learned so much, so the classes won’t be necessary for your daily routine.”

His daily routine? Keith knew for a fact, for the week and a half he has been here, that those classes took up most, if not all, of Lance schedule. Why would the king suddenly take him out of the classes? And what would be do instead?

“Allura gave a lovely suggestion.” Alfor turned to look at Keith, causing him to blush, “Instead of the classes, you shall use all of your new free time to spend more time with Keith.”

Is… is he serious? Alfor took Lance out of, at least what the king considered, the most important part of Lance’s education on future king, _just_ so he could spend more time with Keith? The boy himself was… shocked to say the least. Keith knew that Alfor was persistent on Lance and Keith mating, but why this?

“Are you serious, father?” Lance blinked at him.

“Of course.” Alfor replied, “If you are going to mate with Keith by his next heat, might as well know a thing or two about him.”

Keith blushed a little and looked away at the mention of his next heat, while Lance just sat there, dumbfounded. Keith wasn’t sure if Lance would be upset that he was just being taken out to spend time with Keith, or if he was excited to be taken out and just didn’t know how to reply to that.

“Now, go on boys, eat your food.” Alfor gestured to their plates, “You can eat and go off to your room. I’ll alert Coran about the situation afterwards.”

Again, they all ate in silence, but it was a comfortable one. The sudden news of Lance finishing his classes hung over everyone in the room. Keith could tell Lance was happy, seeing how Lance would smile in between bites of food. He knew that Lance was just thrilled to not sit in the classes anymore, rather than speak to Keith.

When everyone was finished, the plates were taken away and everyone went to their own activities. Alfor went off to speak with Coran, and Allura most likely went off to her own room to do princess things… whatever those things may be. With that, it was just Lance and Keith, standing alone in the empty dining hall.

“So…” Keith muttered awkwardly.

“So…” Lance blinked for a moment, “What do you want to do?”

“Well, what do you usually do when you have free time?” Keith asked.

“Usually I just spend time with Hunk and Pidge…” Lance shrugged

“Hunk and Pidge?” Keith quirked his head to the side. He hasn’t heard of them before. “Are they your friends?”

“Oh yes! They’re amazing!” Lance grinned. He looked so happy talking about his friends, “They both work here at the castle. Since we’re all pretty busy, so we can’t see each other that often.”

“That’s too bad.” Keith frowned a little, “What do they do?”

“Hunk is one of the chefs, so he’s mostly in the kitchen all day.” Lance explained, “And Pidge just cleans. You’ve probably seen her around. Really short, light brown hair, green marks, brown eyes, round glasses. Same maid uniform.”

Keith blinks for a moment. He does remember seeing someone looking similar to Lance’s description. He’s seen her around, usually either cleaning the halls or just walking down it. Maybe next time he sees her, Keith will give her a little hello.

“Anyways,” Lance turned to Keith, “What do _you_ do for fun?”

“M-Me?” Keith looked away, “Well, I was kind of restricted to a lot of things for a while, so I mostly just read and paint…”

“Paint?! You can paint?!” Lance’s sudden excitement caused Keith to flinch and stare at him in shock. “Did you bring any of your old paintings?”

“Yeah… a few of them are in our room.” Keith blinked at him.

Suddenly, Lance grabbed Keith’s arm and began to pull him out of the dining hall. When Keith asked what he was doing, Lance just said he wanted to see some of his paintings. Was Lance really into art, or did he specifically wanted to see some of Keith’s work?

When they walked through the maze of hallways and made it to their room, Lance opened the door and pushed Keith inside, the boy behind his heels. “Go on, get them out! I want to see!”

Shaking his head with a smile, Keith went over to a large bag where he kept most of his things that weren’t clothing. He crouched down and opened the bag, observing all of the items that sat within the large bag. There wasn’t really much in there. His clothes had taken up most of the space and had been moved to their own drawers since then. Aside from clothes, he didn’t have much stuff that he really wanted to bring.

In the bag, he saw his old toy hippo once again… Holding it alone was a source of comfort for him on nights where Keith had nightmares and couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t dare imagine just leave it behind. The next items were a small stack of books, seven to be exact. They were the other parts of a fictional series that Keith liked to read. He has read the series many times and loves it each time, so Keith figured he could bring the books to read if he were bored, which he has a few times now.

The last few things were some paints and two of his smaller favorite paintings. When Keith painted, he mostly painted landscapes he could see from windows around the castle. He mostly preferred to paint the field and trees outside his window that had a large mountain background. That was on of the paintings. The other was of the courtyard that has many trees, bushes, and flowers within the space.

Keith wasn’t sure if he’d ever have the time to paint. Until now, he didn’t. He couldn’t really paint during Lance’s classes, so he mostly would read the books he brought. Maybe he could paint some of the landscapes around Altea’s castle… With a shrug, Keith pulled out the two paintings the were rolled up like scrolls and walked to Lance, who was sitting down on the edge of the bed. Sitting next to him, Keith slowly rolled open the painting of the Galra castle courtyard.

Keith had to admit, he found this a little embarrassing. He’s really only shown these painting to Shiro, who had returned back to the castle once Keith got settled in. Other than that, Keith never really felt comfortable showing time to anyone, but since Lance was so persistent, might as well.

“Holy shit.” Lance stared at the painting in awe, “This looks amazing! And so realistic too!”

“You really think so?” Keith blinked at him, dumbfounded.

“Yes! Definitely!” Lance rolled the paper back up and handed it to Keith, “Why don’t you paint more often?”

“Well, I guess I never had much time to create them.” Keith shrugged, “Plus, I don’t do it too often. Usually if I’m bored or really motivated.”

Lance let out a small chuckle, “I bet you could easily paint me.”

“I’ve never painted someone else before.” Keith blinked at him. “I could give it a try sometime.”

“Woah wait,” Lance stared at Keith for a moment, “Would you actually paint me?”

“Well, maybe not sometime soon, but one day.” Keith looked away for a minute.

“That would be amazing!” Lance grinned and before he even knew it, he hugged Keith from his side, “You’re the best.”

Keith’s face instantly heated up from both Lance’s words and the sudden hug that the same boy was giving him. He wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt flustered. Maybe it was the kind words or the physical contact he’s never had much of it. Either way, he enjoyed it, so he returned it awkwardly with the one arm Keith had available

-

(August 16th, 2:23pm…)

A few days have passed since Lance had been taken out of his classes. While Alfor’s original intentions were for Keith and Lance to get closer, it’s been slightly awkward. Not that the two of them aren’t speaking to each other, but rather that they don’t really know what to do now. For the last few weeks, Keith just followed Lance around, and most of the time Keith found himself sitting in Coran’s classes with Lance as he rambled about… who knows what. Half of the time Keith was so focused on reading that he hardly paid any mind to what Coran or Lance were doing.

Now that Lance was taken out of these classes with Coran, Lance didn’t really do much else around the castle. Half the time Keith would find Lance face down on the bed doing _literally_ nothing. Did Lance really not do anything else in his free time other than sit around in that room with Coran? Did Lance not have any hobbies? Did he ever have free time?

So it wasn’t really awkward between the two of them, but they didn’t really know what to do, since Lance seemed to lack the ability to have fun partaking in anything that wasn’t classes or hanging out with Pidge and Hunk, which wasn’t very often in the first place. Half the time, Lance and Keith found themselves playing twenty questions or anything similar to help them get to know each other better. Miraculously, the games caused them both to get to know a lot about the other. Twenty questions is what they most commonly played, and it resulted in fun times and lots of laughs and giggles that lasted into the night.

He remembered hearing Lance’s stupid laugh as Keith answered the question Lance had asked. The two had been sitting on their respective sides of the bed facing each other and shooting random questions to each other. Lance had just asked Keith what he was afraid of, and Keith sighed. He had been expecting this question, and he knew exactly how Lance would react to his answer.

“Excuse me, sorry, but you’re afraid of _what_ now?” Lance had snorted between laughs.

“Now, what’s wrong with being afraid of horses?” Keith had quicker his brow, trying his best to hide that smile of his.

“Horses? HORSES?! Why horses?!” Lance had snorted in between giggles. “They are everywhere around here and I know they are at the Galra castle too. So why? Why horses of all things?”

“You think anyone ever took the time to teach me to ride horses?” Keith had gestured towards Lance, “No! Those things, to this day, scare the shit out of me.”

“Now I have to hear the story! There has to be more to this!” He laughed stupidly.

“There is, yes, but there is no way I’m going to tell you.” Keith smirked.

“What?! Come on!” Lance sat up and threw his hands down on the mattress, leaning forward to Keith, “Tell me!”

“Nope,” Keith folded his arms across his chest, giving Lance a serious look, “Not happening.”

“Alright, if I tell you something really embarrassing about me, than will you tell me?”

“Ugh, fine.”

Keith began to learn a lot about Lance from the last few days. His favorite color was blue, he adored french toast, his favorite flower were Forget-Me-Nots, and between the two, Hunk was his favorite and to never tell Pidge. He knew that was afraid of tight spaces, and that when he was seven he shoved a pomegranate seed up his nose and almost had to go into surgery. Lance also adored art, hence him freaking out about Keith’s paintings. He mentioned how he always adored art and that he oneday wanted to learn to paint himself.

With Keith learning about Lance, the Altean learned a lot about Keith as well. Lance knew about Keith’s favorite food, actives, and sadly enough, why he was afraid of horses. When he was about four years old, Keith wanted to see the horse and when he got close, one of the horses fot scared whe he walked past it and it kicked him with its back legs and broke his arm.

Of course, Lance laughed at him for at least five minutes. Keith didn’t mind, however, because he was busy laughing at Lance’s stupidity. It was one thing for a horse to kick a baby Keith, but for a seven year old Lance to show a seed up his nose? Shouldn’t he knew better? In the end, they both ended up laughing together over their own stupid and embarrassing moments they both have had as kids.

Now, Keith asked Lance is he could show him the gardens in the back. Eagerly, Lance grinned and gladly took him to the gardens for a tour. This garden wasn’t like the courtyard, if anything, it was a thousand times larger than it was. Beautiful trees and flowers and vine walls everywhere. Keith could tell that Lance adored the castle gardens, seeing the way he looked around in awe like a child and couldn’t stop smiling.

As they walked, Keith began to think about something he didn’t know a lot about when it comes to Lance: his other friends. Lance has told him a few things about Hunk and Pidge, but since the two of them are always busy working at the castle, he’s yet to formally meet them and Lance has yet to spend time with them in a while.

All he really knows about them are their overall appearance and that they were Lance’s closest friends ever since they were little. Other than that, Keith is clueless. He wishes that he could meet the two formally some time, curious about the two Alteans that have known Lance for years. He’s wanted to ask Lance for a while, so maybe he could ask now since they weren’t really talking.

“Could you tell me more about Pidge and Hunk…” Keith asked as Lance walked with him slowly.

“Pidge and Hunk?” Lance looked at him, “Why?”

“Well… n-never mind,” Keith looked down slightly to look at Ground, “It’s not important.”

“No, it’s okay,” Lance insisted, “Why do you want to know about them?”

“Well, I haven’t been able to met them yet.” Keith blushed slightly, “I guess I’m just curious about them.

“Nothing wrong with that.” Lance said, “Here, there’s a bench nearby. Sit and I’ll tell you about them.”

The two of them walked for a moment and took a seat at one of the bright white benches that the garden has provided. They sat side-by-side and the two turned to each other. Keith looked up at Lance expectantly.

“So, what do you want to know about them?” Lance asked, letting his hands sit in his lap.

“Well, just anything.” Keith shrugged, looking down at his feet, “I would just like to get to know about your childhood friends. How did you guys meet?”

“Hunk and Pidge’s parents worked here before,” Lance explained, a smile on his face, “Hunk’s father is the head chef here. Pidge’s mother helps take care of the gardens here and her father is a mechanic. Pidge’s older brother, Matt, is an mechanic as well.”

“So their families work here?” Keith asked, “How does this have to do with you meeting Hunk and Pidge?”

“They often brought Hunk and Pidge with them to work,” Lance explained, “After getting father’s permission, they started to bring Hunk and Pidge to the nursery where I stayed.”

“So you grew up together?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I met them when I was about two or three and we’ve been very close ever since.” Lance looked down with a smile, “They’ve been with me through everything…”  

Keith couldn’t help but notice the sadness in Lance’s eyes and the smile that went with it. It caused Keith to question exactly what kind of things him, Hunk and Pidge have gone through as they grew up together. As curious as Keith was, he decided not to pry. If Lance had asked Keith more about his personal life, he wouldn’t be completely comfortable talking about it either.

“You three must be very close…” Keith looked away for a moment.

“Yeah…” Lance looked over at Keith.

They both felt a little awkward. Keith didn’t want to pry, but he also didn’t know what else to say. Should he push forward, or shall he keep quiet? Keith shook his head, choosing to ask a different question rather than push Lance to open up.

“What are they like?” Keith turned a little to Lance, “Pidge and Hunk I mean…”

Keith noticed Lance relaxed and his smiled turned joyful and he was glad that he broke the awkward tension, “Hunk: he’s the purest angel you will ever meet.” He looked at Keith with a serious look, “You will never meet anyone as pure as Hunk. You will love him the second you meet him.”

Keith giggled at Lance’s seriousness about his friend, “And Pidge?”

“She’s…” Lance paused, but it wasn’t an awkward pause, but it was more of a tense pause, “Something else…”

“Something else?” Keith quirked a brow, “And what do you mean by that?”

“To put it in words, she’s a troublemaking genius.” Lance chuckled, “She’s short and always bubbling full of laughter. If you find something she can get in trouble for, you bet your ass she’ll cause some. And don’t get to comfortable around her,” He have Keith a very serious look, “If she has some gossip about you or any type of blackmail of you, Pidge will betray you in a heartbeat.”

“That isn’t very nice you of to say, loverboy.”

Lance flinched and Keith could’ve sworn Lance’s soul left his body. Keith turned his head to his left, where the voice was coming from, and he saw two Alteans walking up them. He blinked for a moment at them, one of them was small and the other was large and both of them. While the larger one was smiling happily, the shorter one was smirking wickedly at Lance.

The large one had dark brown hair with dark tan skin and bright brown eyes. He had small yellow Altean markings under his eyes and slightly stretched down his cheeks. He wore a yellow tunic with a brown belt tied around his waist with dark brown pants and black boots. He must’ve been Hunk…

The short one, on the other hand… Keith knew this one was Pidge. As Lance had said, she was short, _really_ short. She had a messy bunch of short, light brown hair that stood out at the bottom ends with straight bands that nearly touched the tip of her nose. She had bright brown eyes and green marks that contrasted well with her bright hair. She wore a green and white tunic that was at least one size too big with dark grey pants and short shoes.

As they finally stood over the two sitting on the bench, Pidge eyed Lance with a glare and a smirk on his face. However, Hunk look down curiously at Keith, causing him to flinch and look away with a magenta blush on his cheeks. He quirked a brow at him and was about to speak up before Pidge interrupted him with her usual shenanigans.

“So, Lance, what was that you were saying about me?” Pidge leaned down to look Lance in eye.

The Altean leaned forward, a smirk on his lips that copied Pidge’s, “Why, my dear Katie, I was just warning my dear friend here about your little tricks before he falls into your trap.”

It was then that Pidge glanced over to the side and noticed that Lance had company. Keith looked up at the shorter Altean with a clueless look on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him and Keith blinked at her a few times, unsure of what he just got himself into. Pidge walked over to Keith and Hunk immediately moved out of the way for her, like this wasn’t the first time this has happened.

Pidge leaned down to glare at Keith, causing the boy to lean back with a worried and scared look on his face, his ears dropping down like a scared kittem. Did Pidge have a tendency to invade others personal space? Keith felt uneasy as Pidge turned her head around to look at Keith from any possible angle and he felt uncomfortable at the way she kept glaring at him.

“Hm,” she mumbled, moving her hand up to flick Keith’s cheek with her finger, “Not bad, not bad at all Lance.” She moved her head to look at Keith, but she didn’t move back, “You snagged yourself a good one.”

“A-A what…?”

“PIDGE!” Lance nearly squawked, getting in between them to push Pidge out of Keith’s face, “Leave him alone!”

The girl let out a hearty laugh and bend forward to rest her hands on her thighs. Keith just sat there, hands grasping his thighs as he blinked at the tiny Altean laughing in front of him, a blush on his cheeks. Meanwhile, Lance gave her a death glare, and Keith didn’t even notice that he moved closer to him, as if he were protecting him from whatever Pidge was planning next.

Pidge’s laughs began to die down and she lifted herself up to stand up straight. She grinned happily and looked down at Keith with her eyes filled with joy, “I’m going to assume you’re Keith, right?”

The boy flinched and nodded, “Yeah…”

Pidge suddenly held her right hand out to Keith, expecting him to shake it. He eyed the tiny hand for a moment before he reached out and grabbed it and they shook hands with a smile.

“Nice to meet you,” Keith simply nodded, “Pidge, right?”

She nodded, “Right,” she stepped back and let Hunk introduce himself.

“I’m Hunk.” The man smiled and held out a large hand to him, “It’s nice to meet you! Lance has told us a lot about you!”

“He has?” He took Hunk’s hand as he looked over at Lance, who looked a little flustered.

“More than he needed to,” Pidge rolled her eyes, than moved to Lance to smack him in the head, “Why’d you wait this long to introduce us?” She pressed her hands against her heart, “Oh, I’m so hurt, Lance.”

“Ow!” Lance rubbed the spot where Pidge smacked him, “It’s not my fault you guys are always busy with work! Speaking of, what are you two doing here, and how did you find us?”

“Are you saying you were trying to avoid us?” Pidge pretended to be fainted, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead, “Oh, Lance! I feel so betrayed!”

Hunk chuckled and rolled his eyes at Pidge’s childish behavior. “Dad gave me the rest of the day off. Pidge on the other hand…” he coughed into his hand and looked down at Pidge.

“There are plenty of people around to clean this place!” Pidge threw her hands up in defense, “What’s one less person?”

“Except you could get fired for it,” Hunk threw back.

“Lance will cover for me.”

“Nope! Never again!” Lance crossed his arms over his chest, “Remember what happened last time I covered for you?”

“What happened last time?” Keith asked, tilting his head to the side a little.

Pidge snickered while Lance threw his head in his hands. Keith quirked his brow at the two of them and he turned to Hunk, hoping that Lance’s statement of Hunk being a pure angel was actually correct.

The man shook his head with a smile and looked down at Keith, “She broke the stove in the kitchen.”

“The stove?” Keith asked

“Father made me clean up the kitchen alone every day for a month after that!” Lance cried, lifting his head up glare up at Pidge.

“I… don’t want to know...” Keith blinked up at two of them.

“Trust me, you don’t,” Lance groaned.

Keith grinned and laughed into his hand at Lance’s tired expression and tone of voice. Lance looked over at Keith and blinked at his laugh. Keith hardly even noticed the staring, too focused on giggling, but Pidge and Hunk did. They weren’t fools; they saw the way he looked when Keith giggled at his embarrassment.

His eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. He blinked several times and his cheeks began to turn as red as a rose, even visible against his tanned skin. Hunk and Pidge glanced at each other and the gremlin smirked at the larger Altean, and he knew that smirk anywhere. Lance will never hear the last of it.

“If only I could’ve see it,” Keith smiled, “I would’ve loved to see fancy pancy Lance scrubbing down some floors.

“Fancy pancy Lance?” The boy turned to Keith and eyes him weirdly, “That’s saying a lot,” Lance leaned forward, poking Keith’s cheek with a smile, “Coming from Prince Charming here.”

“Excuse me?” He raised his brow with a smirk, “Prince Charming?”

“Yes,” Lance leaned closer, “Prince. Charming.”

“Ah, well then, you must be my damsel in distress,” Keith smirked again.

“Your what now?”

“Damsel in distress,” Keith moved one of his fingers under Lance’s chin to lift it up, “Shall I whisk you away so we can live happily ever after?”

Lance’s entire face lit up like a red stop light and he blinked at him rapidly, at a lost of words. Keith couldn’t keep at the confident facade for long before his face scrunched up and he tried his best to hold in his laughter, but it was inevitable. Keith pulled back and let himself laugh loudly into his hand. Lance just sat there, stunned at Keith’s unusually silly behavior. Meanwhile, Pidge and Hunk eyed each other for a moment before the two of the began to laugh as well.  Lance blinked at Keith, unsure of what to say.

“I-I sorry…!” Keith giggled between his words, “You had it coming…!”

Lance froze, blinking like an idiot at the situation he was in. His cheeks remained flushed as Keith giggled and laughed loudly into his hand. To Lance, there was something about Keith’s laugh, the way his cheeks were colored a dark magenta and the tears that began to form in his eyes due to his laughter… it only made Lance blush more.

He couldn’t explain why it did. Maybe it was his stupid grin, the sound of his voice, or maybe it was just his Alpha side noticing the Omega that sat right next to him, but if Lance had to be honest with himself, Keith was really cute.

The way he kept giggling to himself at the way he teased Lance with his flirting made Lance feel strange, and the way Keith kept blushing at the situation made Lance light up a thousand times more. His dark, frizzy hair sticking out near the tips and his unbelievably cute markings he’s never seen on any Galra before…

It made Lance… kind of want to touch them.

Lance shook his head. He shouldn’t be thinking about anything like, regardless of whether or not Pidge and Hunk were with him. He hasn’t even know Keith for very long, and it was silly of him to think such things about Keith. He was a prince, a highly looked upon Galra; Lance shouldn’t be thinking about Keith that way.

But then again, Keith was going to be his mate… wouldn’t those thoughts be appropriate in the situation they’re in?

Lance’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard Pidge’s loud voice, causing Lance to shake his head in confusion.

“Nice one!” Pidge have Keith a high five and turned to Lance with a smirk, “You should see the look on your face! It’s priceless!”

Lance blinked a few more times before his face began to boil once again, “H-Hey! That’s not fair!”

“Not my fault,” Keith shrugged, his smirk remaining, “You fell right into my trap.”

“Keith got you, buddy,” Hunk gently patted Lance’s back to give him support.

The Altean hung his head in defeat, “I feel so betrayed.”

“Hope you use your flirting skills for good,” Pidge snickered, “You can have a whole army at your feet with skills like that!” 

“Why would I ever want that?” Keith quirked his brow, one ear flopping down. 

“Um? Hello?!” Pidge waved her hands, making gestures in hope she could get Keith to understand, “Who wouldn’t want an army of Alphas?”

“I don’t…” Keith blinked at her.

“Lame!” She shot her head up to look at the sky before she looked over at Lance, that famous smirk of her appearing once again, “Watch out, Lance, you might have some serious competition with skills like his.” 

Lance’s entire face lit up like a firecracker while Keith simply titled his head slightly to the side, confused as to what Pidge had meant. Lance ended up standing up and moving over to where Keith sat the grab him by the wrist and pull him up. Keith stumbled for a moment, but allowed Lance to begin to drag him out of the garden.

 “L-Lance?” Keith blinked at him, his feet slightly dragging, “W-What are you doing?”

“Getting away from the gremlin…” he mumbled, before turning his head back to the two, “Get back to work, gremlin, or I swear I’ll tell father!” 

“My work here is done,” Pidge said to Hunk, before she shouted to Lance, “Be gentle with him, Lance!”

 That only caused Lance to quicken his pace and for Keith to feel more confused about what pidge had meant. Regardless, he allowed Lance to drag him back inside the castle and away from Pidge and Hunk, two of his new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got some flirty boys ;)
> 
> Anways, you know the drill  
> I update every friday and if you like video edits and updates on this fic, follow my instragram @thosespacegays


	7. Quick update!

Hey everyone! Small update!

Hate to be that guy, but I’m probably going to go on a small hiatus. Don’t worry, it won’t be very long, perhaps for a week or two.

This is mainly due to me being busy with school and not having lots of time to write the future chapters. Like I’ve said in the past, due to my past habits of dropping fics mid-way through writing, I heavily wrote ahead of this fic. Like,,, I just started writing _chapter_ _21_. Yeah,,,

I’m trying to stay at least 10 chapters ahead of what’s published just so that what has happened with my last two longer fics doesn’t happen to this one. So this little break on updates won’t be crazy long, but I think it’s necessary.

 

HOWEVER!

To make it up to you guys, if you want, ask any questions you have about me, or about fic you may have on here! I won’t answer any questions that’ll spoil or ruin future/potential events. 

I doubt anyone will really ask anything, but it’s something I’ll be willing to do for the time being. 

Again, I’m sorry for stopping updates, but I just want to be sure that you can have regularly scheduled updates in the future!

Thank you for reading this and for reading the fic!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UGH I KNOW IM LATE EVEN THO I WAS ON A BREAK TAKE THIS

(August 20th, 7:09pm…)

“So, how have you and Galra boy been?” Pidge asked as she flopped down on a bench in the courtyard.

“He’s alright…” Lance shrugged and looked away.

“Ah, yes, he’s ‘alright’,” Hunk smirked, poking at Lance cheek, “I see the way you look at him.”

“Q-Quit it, Hunk!” Lance gently slapped Hunk’s hand away, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

A day has passed, and it has been the first time in a while that both Hunk and Pidge were off on the same day. And actually off and Pidge not sneaking off. Usually, Keith would be with Lance, but he took a nap so Lance decided to spend more time with Hunk and Pidge with a walk in the courtyard, without them teasing him and Keith, but Lance ended up being their prime target.

The courtyard was large, with brick walkways with bushes, flowers and small trees planted into the grass. In the center, a fairly large fountain was placed. It was a simple design, a large round perimeter with an elegant centerpiece that squirted out water in all directions and landed right into the pool of the fountain.

It also had small patio spaces that were decorated with large arches on every side. The wall in the hall displayed a variety of windows and doors that lead back into the castle. They were made of smooth, pale stone and went well with the vibrate green and other colors of the garden area.

“Calm down, Lance,” Pidge shook her head as Hunk went to sit next to her,

“The big guy is just teasing.” Suddenly, she smirked, “Unless…”

“Shut up, Pidge!” Lance turned away to face the fountain and away from his friends.

“You actually like Keith, don’t you?!” Pidge bounced up from her seat and began to circle around Lance, who kept turning away, “Admit it! I can see through you like a mirror!”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Lance folded his arms over his chest and looked down at his smaller friend.

“ _ I’m _ being ridiculous?” Pidge smirked at him, “Well, I’m not the one who lit up like a fireplace when Keith flirted with them.”

“Oh for the love of--” Lance groaned, “I do not like Keith! At least not like that! And he wasn’t flirting with me!”

“Ha!” Pidge jabbed her finger against Lance’s face, “So you do admit to enjoying Keith’s presence!”

“Oh my god.” Lance deadpans, “Hunk! Tell the gremlin that she is being ridiculous!” 

“Hunk!” She turned to the man himself, “Tell Lance that he is the one being ridiculous!”

Oh poor Hunk. Someone save this boy.

“O-Okay! Okay!” Hunk held his hands up defensively, “One, Lance,” Hunk looked at him, “Keith was definitely flirting with you. And two, have to admit, you are definitely lying,”

“Hunk!” Lance cried.

“Ha!” Pidge grinned, “Told you--”

“And Pidge.” Hunk turned to her, “Lance is right. You are being a little… much.”

“Finally.” Lance sighed in relief, “Someone who has common sense.  _ Mostly _ .”

“Ugh!” Pidge groaned, and then looked at Lance, “But Lance, do you actually like Keith?”

“Well, as a friend, yes.” Lance sat down at the fountain’s edge. “From what I know, he isn’t a bad guy.”

“Kind of hard to like someone as a friend when you’re being forced against your will to mate with him.” Hunk deadpans. Hard.

“That’s different.” Lance looked at him, “As you literally just said, we don’t have a choice, so… it isn’t really easy to just fall for him. And I haven’t known him for very long, either. Give me a break.”

“Well, overall, do you like him as a being?” Pidge asked.

“Yeah,” Lance paused, a little pink appearing on his cheeks, “He’s pretty quiet, but he makes amazing paintings and always get excited when he talks about his book and things he loves. He’s a nice guy…”

When Lance looked up, he flinched when he saw Pidge quite  _ literally  _ in his face, a big smirk across her face. “ _ Interesting _ …”

“What the hell, Pidge?!” Lance put his hand on Pidge’s cheek and gently shoved the younger Altean away from his face. Nonetheless, she was still smirking like a fool. “So what?! I think Keith is a nice guy. What’s so wrong with that?”

“Nothing wrong with that,” she held her hands up defensively, “But, you were  _ blushing _ !”

The words only caused Lance’s pink cheeks turn a vibrant red, “ _ Pidge _ !”

“Okay, okay, enough, Pidge.” Hunk sighed, “Please, have mercy on the poor soul that stands before you.”

“Technically he’s sitting, but…” Pidge paused, then shrugged. “Fine. You have been freed from my rath by the all-mighty Hunk’s blessing.” With that, she sat down on the fountain next to Lance. “But serious talk now: what are you going to do about all of…  _ this _ ?”

Lance knew what she meant, and he sighed heavily, “I don’t know… what can I really do? I can’t just go against my father like that. But this whole thing… its a living hell.”

“I can only imagine how bad it must be for that Keith guy.” Hunk nodded, “His life was probably just as bad at home.”

“What do you mean?” Pidge blinked at Hunk.

“I figured you would’ve know this, Pidge, but a few decades ago, King Zarkon was nearly thrown out of his throne by Galras who wanted more rights for Omegas.” Hunk explained, “He was eventually forced to make more rights for them, but the King still believes in the old ways…”

“So, you’re saying that the King believes…” Pidge didn’t even finish speaking. They know what she meant.

“Yeah…” Hunk looked down, “He still looks at Omegas like they’re some kind of toy. That was actually one of the reasons this whole hell of a war even began. Disagreements over Omegan rights.”

Lance heart nearly broke at the sudden realization. He knew about the causes of the war, and that Galran Omegas didn’t get treated as fairly as Altean Omegas, but it was the thought of King Zarkon that made Lance begin to put the scattered pieces together. King Zarkon still looked at Omegas as  _ things _ and Keith, his  _ son _ , was an  _ Omega _ . It explained everything. Why Keith was so shy and scared when he thought Lance is angry at him… why he does nothing but read and paint… why he asked if he knew what it felt like to be robbed of everything he had…

_ Imagine this: One small part of your life changed. It wasn’t anything big, wasn’t anything too important. And yet, somehow, this little part of you that you have no control over suddenly takes away everything that you ever enjoyed in your life. And you are practically left with nothing. _

Zarkon took over Keith’s life. Because he was an Omega. He thought Keith was too delicate, to valuable… so he took away everything. It’s most likely why all Keith ever does is read and paint, because it was the only options he had  _ left _ . Lance saw Keith as someone who was strong, who wanted to help as much as he can, and not be useless. He isn’t sure what the Galran prince did before, but he figured he helped around the castle or maybe even trained with the soldiers and fight them. But when he presented… Zarkon must’ve seen that as a  _ weakness _ . Her entire perspective on her son must’ve changed. 

So that’s what Keith meant…

When he presented as an Omega, Zarkon took away all the little things Keith loved about his life. And as he said, he was practically left with  _ nothing _ .

Lance suddenly felt a wave of concern flood over him about Keith. The boy had already had everything taken away from him, and then suddenly brought into some marriage with, at the time, a complete and utter stanger? Lance thought he had it bad… Keith had it so much worse…

“Hey, you alright there, Lance?” Pidge moved towards Lance, a concerned look on her face.

“Y-Yeah…” Lance nodded, “I’m fine…” a pause, then Lance suddenly stood up “I need to find Keith.”

“W-what?” Hunk blinked at him, “Lance, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” Lance turned his head to look over his shoulder, “I promise I’ll come back in a little bit. I just… I need to talk to Keith…”

Hunk gave Pidge a concerned look, but she just looked at Lance, and moved her hand to gesture for him to go, “Well? Go on then! Talk to him. We’ll be here.”

“Thanks, Pidge.” Lance smiled softly before running off to find Keith.

Pidge and Hunk simultaneously turned their heads to look at each other. Their faces only remained blank for a moment before they smiled and turned their gaze back to where Lance had run off to, not knowing, but had a feeling of what was to come in the future.

-

“Day eighteen… August twenty, 7:41pm…” Keith mumbled to himself, as he moved his inkpen to write on the next blank page, “Well, not much as happened in the last few days since my last entry…”

Keith was sitting on his bed… his bed? Lance’s bed? Their bed?? Either way, he was sitting on the bed, inkpen in hand and journal sitting on his lap. Lance said he wanted to spend some time with Hunk and Pidge, but he was really tired and let Lance go alone since he already had been following him around enough. It was only once, so Keith doubt that if King Alfor did catch them, he wouldn’t make a  _ huge _ deal out of it, at least not until they do it again.

Today, Keith abandoned the usually tight undershirt and purple vest he wore and went for wearing the black t-shirt with matching black pants but with a lack of the long, brown boots he usually had with them, so his bare feet laid comfortably on the soft fabric of the bed.

To distract himself, the boy decided to write more down in his journal. He didn’t have much to say about what has happened, but he figured he could write about his feelings because, well, isn’t that what a diary is for? Writing down your feelings? Keith might as well regularly record things that happen so he could look at it in the future and probably cringe.

Keith shook his head, trying to get back into focus on the journal, “Overall, the only big thing has happened was Lance being taken out of his classes. Allura sounded like the one who gave Alfor the idea to do it, and according to Alfor, he took Lance out of the classes to spend more time with me.” He let out a small chuckle, “Funny. He did it so we could spend more time together, and here I am while Lance spends time with his friends instead.”

“I was finally able to meet Pidge and Hunk,” Keith smiled, continuing to write as he spoke, “Hunk is as kind as Lance describes him to be and Pidge… she’s something else all right. She loves to tease Lance, which is great because I do to,” Keith grinned, “I was able to fluster Lance enough to the point where he was left speechless,” he chuckled, “I need to team up with Pidge someday.”

“Other than that…” Keith paused, thinking for a moment, “It hasn’t been so bad. If I’m being honest, I have more freedom here than I ever did at home. I’ve been able to do things without someone shoved up my ass, checking to make sure I’m okay. Because I totally have a chance of dying if I stub my toe. Oh the world is ending and the wound is too bad to heal. I am dying. Make sure to write my cause of death was a stubbed toe on my gravestone.”

“Lance is also a really good guy,” Keith smiled at the thought of writing about Lance, “When he isn’t, or rather not anymore, moping during classes, he’s full of energy and always smiling… he also treats me like I’m anyone else, and I know I’ve already said that, but I appreciate it so much. At home, I had never been treated the same. I was looked upon like I was a fragile piece of glass that could shatter any second and needed to be protected at all costs.”

“But with Lance…” Keith didn’t even realize he was blushing and his smile was growing, “He doesn’t do that. He looks, talks, and acts like I’m like everyone else. Lance doesn’t judge me for what I am, but for rather who I am. He judges by what kind of person I am, rather than if I’m Alpha, Beta, or Omega. It’s a sweet relief to actually have someone who looks at me for me…”

“Maybe… just maybe… things may work out better than I hoped.”

Keith sighed as he closed the journal and put it, as well as the inkpen, under the bed in the same spot he’s kept it. It was an obvious hiding place, but Lance hasn’t seemed to find it. If he had found it, he must’ve left it alone because the journal is always in the same place he puts it.

The thought of Lance made Keith smile again. He had to admit, even though he was forced to mate with the guy, Lance wasn’t a bad Altean at all. A goofball… Keith thinks that’s the right word to use. Lance is a big goofball and a huge dork. Lance always tried to make silly conversations with Keith during his classes and meal times. Sometimes, he would do whatever he could to get Keith to laugh. Say stupid jokes, make dumb faces… whatever he could. It only worked a few times. Once, Lance started to tickle him during a class, causing Keith to burst out laughing and later get scolded by Coran.

While Keith wasn’t sure if he would ever fall for Lance, in the short time they’ve know each other, Keith thinks he could deal with Lance as a mate. He already liked him enough as a person, so he could probably deal with him.

Speaking of Lance, Keith flinched when he heard the sound of the bedroom door opening, and said boy quickly walked in and kicked the door behind him. Lance looked… sad. Or more concerned if anything. Did something happen with his friends? Did he get in trouble? 

“Lance?” Keith blinked at him when Lance sat at the edge of the bed, “What’s wrong…?”

Lance didn’t look up, just kept his gaze forward, staring at nothing, “Tell me more about your life before you came here…”

“W-What?” Keith blinked at him.

“Come on,” Lance patted at the area to his right, encouraging Keith to sit next to him, “I had a hypothesis… not completely a good one… and… I want to know a bit about your life… more specifically after you presented.”

Why did… why did Lance want to know? Keith didn’t really like talking about his life after he presented. It was just as bad as his life before, but at least back then he could do what he please. What was Lance’s goal in this, and why was he theorizing about Keith’s old life?

“Um… okay…” Keith slowly crawled over to Lance’s right side and sat at the edge of the bed next to him, “Why do you want to know?”

Lance’s cheeks turned a little pink, and he tried to make eye contact with Keith, “Well… I know that one of the causes of the war were disagreements… specifically Omegan rights… and living with the King… must’ve been hard to deal with… so talk. Just talk to me about anything.”

He was… concerned about Keith? The boy knew that he’s dropped some hints about how his life had been at home before coming here, but Lance figured it out as though he directly told me. And he was worried about Keith and wanted to ask him about it. Lance was… actually worried about him? Keith felt happy knowing that Lance was concerned. No one besides Shiro and Lotor really worried about him like that. Lotor was his brother, so he naturally felt that need to check on his brother, and he’s know Shiro since he was little, so they were very close.

But Lance… they barely knew each other. Lance didn’t have to treat him well, didn’t have to talk to him. Hell, Lance didn’t even have acknowledge Keith at all! And yet, here they are. Lance happily talks to him, treats him well, and now is even concerned about his bad he had been treated in the past. It made Keith feel a range of emotions. Confusion, excitement, appreciative. But most of all… it made Keith feel…  _ happy _ . He felt happy that Lance was worried about him. 

Before Keith even realized it, he looked down at him lap and smiled. A small, soft, sweet smile, one he never showed often. “Thanks for worrying… I-I guess talking about it would be nice.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to…!” Lance quickly assured Keith, “I just… I know that Galra never had many rights for Omegas, and your father is k-kind of a part of that group so… I guess I was just worried…”

Keith looked over at the flustered Lance and let out a chuckle. Cute… “It’s fine. I don’t mind. But you should tell me something after I do…”

“What do you want to know?” Lance asked.

“About…” Keith paused, unsure if he should ask, “Why you and your father have such a bad relationship…”

Keith flinched as Lance’s expression changed. It looked like he was a little worried, unsure if he felt comfortable sharing such information. Then again, they already had a deep conversation such as this, so maybe it won’t be so bad.

“Alright.” Lance just shrugged, “You start.” He shifted his body so that it turned to face Keith, and he looked him in the eye, “So… how was life back at your home?”

“I-I guess for a while, it wasn’t so bad.” Keith moved his gaze to his hands that were carefully folded on his lap, “Since my older brother, Lotor, was an Alpha, Father already had the heir he needed so… he kind of had no use for me to begin with.”

“Geez, no sugar coating here, huh.” Lance blinked at him, “So, the king just, ignored you?”

“Mostly, yes.” He nodded, “For a while, he did. It was when I turned… like maybe three that he stopped giving me attention and focused on Lotor.”

“That’s… terrible.” Lance let out a small sigh.

“I guess it is.” Keith looked away, “But I got used to it once I got older, and we just tolerated each other.”

“Alright,” Lance nodded towards him, “So, what about this Lotor guy? He’s your older brother, right?”

Keith perked up a bit at the mention of his brother, “Oh, Lotor? Yeah… He doesn’t really look anything like me, though. You’d be surprised to find that we are brothers. Pale purple skin, long, white hair, violet eyes. Okay, so we have the same eyes, I guess. But yeah, since he was going to be the next heir, he kind of did a lot of what you did before.”

“He… took classes?” Lance asked.

“Something like that, yes.” Keith nodded, “But it was more hands-on experience. He told me that father was like his teacher. He always went to meetings and other social events with him, and he taught him what to do. Hell, he even helps father with some of his paperwork.”

“Eww.” Lance groaned, “At least I didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah…” Keith chuckled a little, “When he wasn’t with father, we played together often. He’s about ten years older than me, so he was fourteen when I was four. We couldn’t play together too often since he was busy with father.”

“What did you do when you got older?” Lance asked, “You never really mentioned any of that.”

“I mostly trained with the soldiers. One day, I was maybe no older than ten or eleven, and I asked the soldiers to teach me how to fight. None of them took me seriously… No one but Shiro.”

“Isn’t he the guy that was with you when you first arrived?” Lance asked.

“Yeah,” Keith smiled with a nod, “He was the one who taught me everything I know about fighting. Taught me how to use swords, spears, bows, you name it. It wasn’t until the other soldiers noticed how well I was getting that they trained with me too.”

“But your father… I doubt he liked it.” Lance blinked at him.

“He actually didn’t care for the most part.” Keith paused, “I remember him saying he didn’t care what I did as long as it kept me busy.”

“So…” Lance paused, “You just trained with the soldiers?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Not exactly the most exciting life.” Keith shrugged, “I’d train with them, and sometimes even accompany them when they go to fight or do soldier stuff, whatever else it may be. It was after I presented that everything changed…”

Lance didn’t speak, allowing Keith to keep going. “They didn’t take me seriously. They would laugh and say shit like ‘you’re an Omega! You can’t fight!’. I even tried talking to Shiro about it. He said he would have but… apparently my father gave orders for me to not fight or train with the soldiers… they even stored away the weapons so that I don’t try anything.”

“ _ Seriously _ ?” Lance stared at him, shocked, “I get that Omegas are treated differently in the Galra kingdom, but that is just crazy!”

“I know...” The boy sighed. “So after that, I figured if I can’t train, I guess I could go on walks out in the fields outside the castle town. I go on walks when I’m not training or need to clear my head. But… I was stopped by my father.”

“Your father?” Lance looked at Keith, confused. 

“Yeah…” Keith looked away, and noticed how more distressed he appeared, “He came to me and said that I was not allowed to leave the castle… and after that...” Lance couldn’t help but notice how Keith’s eyes began to water

“Keith...” Lance frowned a little, and tried to reach forward, but hesitated.

“Everything just kind of… fell apart” Keith bit his lip, “For as long as I’ve remembered, Father, he… never cared. I was lucky if I ever saw my father outside of meals… And yet now that I’m an Omega, he suddenly cares?” His lips began to quiver, holding back everything he’s held down deep inside.

Lance was done hesitating. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around Keith’s middle and pulled the boy into his lap, holding him tightly. He felt like he was holding a different person as Keith silently let out all the emotions he held back in the form of silent tears.

“I-I…” Keith’s whimpered against Lance’s chest, “He never asked me… h-he,” Lance could feel Keith’s short breaths against his chest.

“Shh, its okay…” Lance buried his face into Keith’s crown, moving his hand to gently pet the back of Keith’s head, “You know what my father did? He always promised me he’d let me be with someone I truly loved. I trusted him to keep that promise… and look what happened.”

“It hurts…” Keith whispered, “s-sorry for crying... I—”

“It’s okay. Everyone needs to cry sometimes,” a pause, Hey…” Lance pulled back a little so that he could look at Keith, but he kept Keith close to him. The boy's eyes were red and tears were still falling down his eyes, occasionally letting out small sniffles. “It’s almost sunset… so I want to show you something… and I’ll tell you more about me and my father once we’re there, okay?”

Not trusting his words, Keith simply nodded and allowed Lance to stand up. Once he did, he offered his hand to Keith, and the boy took it, letting Lance pull him to he feet. Keith expected Lance to let go after that, but he didn’t and held onto his hand as he guided Keith out the door.

As they navigated through the maze of hallways, Keith found himself smiling about how Lance never let go of his hand and how he made sure that he didn’t walk to fast for Keith. The boy found himself walking besides Lance, holding Lance’s hand as tight as he could. Suddenly, Lance made a turn to his right and opened two large glass double doors that lead out to a small balcony that overlooked the castle’s courtyard. It gave a lowly view of the whole place and looked beautiful from this high up, the golden colors of the evening casted upon it. Were they on the highest floor?

Lance guided Keith over to a small area next to the doors that had small wall space before the balcony railing cut it off. Why was Lance showing him this? As far as Keith new, it didn’t look that special. There didn’t appear to be any kind of thing or decoration to make the small space stand out, so what was sp great about it?

“Is this it?” Keith asked.

“No, but it’ll help us get to it,” Lance suddenly pointed up, “Look up at the roof.”

Glancing up, Keith’s eyes widen a little. The edge of the roof was… really close. He could easily reach his hand up and put his fingertips against it. The dark red roof had a mostly flat surface other than giant pillars that surrounded certain ends of it.

When Keith felt Lance’s hands slip out of his, he looked over at the boy, only to see he was crouching down a bit. “Come on, get on my back and I’ll boost you up, then you can pull me up. Trust me, I do this all the time with Pidge.”

“What about the railing?” Keith asked in a whisper.

“Too dangerous,” Lance explained, “Trust me, some dumb things have almost happened because of that. And I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.” He smiled, “Go on now, on my back,”

Giving him a nod, Keith carefully moved himself so that he was behind Lance. With a loud sigh, Keith quickly climbed onto Lance back. He let out a small yelp as Lance grabbed onto his legs and stood up, a slightly scared Keith clinging to his back.

“Now just climb over my shoulders and climb up the roof.” Lance explained, “it’s awkward, I know, but it's better than risking getting hurt.”

With a small huff, Keith scrambled up Lance’s back and grabbed onto the edge of the roof. Pushing himself up, he carefully pressed his feet against Lance’s shoulder and was able to climb up onto the slightly slanted down ceiling. The boy just hoped he didn’t hurt Lance too much…

“Come on, now,” Lance grinned at Keith, “Don’t worry, I’ll be able to get up there. Just help pull me up a bit.”

With a shrug, Keith bent himself down to grab one of Lance’s arms with both of his and used all of his strength to help pull Lance up. Ever since Keith presented, he slowly began to lose the strength he once had. Lance, on the other, though it didn’t look like it, had much more strength and was overall able to get up their himself using his own strength and a bit of help from the railing.

With a grunt, Keith hauled Lance up onto the roof. The two sat there for a moment, taking a quick breather, before Lance gestures for Keith to stand up and to follow him. Lance, once again, held out his hand to help Keith up. The boy happily took it and, but unlike last time, Lance didn’t hold it, but Keith tried now to showcase his disappointment.

Lance bagan to walk over to one of the sides of the roof, making sure Keith was still following, until he suddenly stopped. The spot didn’t look too special. It looked exactly like the ones they had been in before. Keith didn’t know why Lance brought him here. At least, not until Lance spoke up.

“Look at the sky,” He whispered, gesturing towards the sky.

When Keith looked up, his eyes widen when he say what had to be the most beautiful sunset he’s ever seen. The sky was splashed with beautiful oranges and pinks, but mostly purple and blue due to the upcoming darkness of night. The sun looked magnificent as it slowly sat in the sky with beautiful cirrus clouds scattering the vast sky. The colors blended wonderfly together and Keith wish he could capture this sky for the rest of his life.

Keith was speechless, staring in awe at the beautiful work of art that stood before him. Why was Lance showing him this? Why did he even bring Keith up here in the first place? 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lance looked over at him before moving to sit down. 

“It’s is...” Keith sat down next to Lance, not taking his eyes off the view.

“I’m glad you like it.” Lance turned to look at the sunset, “I used to come here whenever I felt upset… or when father yelled at me…”

“Is… is that why you brought me up here?” Keith asked hesitantly.

“One of them,” Lance nods, keeping his eyes forward. He let out a long sigh, “My mother had fallen ill not long after a was born, a few days if that. To this day they refuse to tell me what happened to her to got her sick.” He paused, his gaze lowering to the floor, “She died the very next day.”

“Lance…” Keith looked at him with a worried expression. Keith also grew up with a lack of one of his parents. According to Lotor, their mother disappeared sometime after Keith was born and no one has been able to find her since. At least they have one thing in common… but that isn’t really the best thing to have in common, is it?

“For a while, my father and sister blamed me…” Lanced paused. “My sister was young, so she acted out accordingly. According to Coran, she would constantly cry and shout, saying it was my fault that mother died… she doesn’t do that anymore… but hearing that from Coran… still made me feel at fault.”

“Is that why you and Alfor have such a rocky relationship?” Keith asked.

“Yeah...” Lance nodded slowly. “He never said it outloud, but I still remember how he looked at me…”

“Lance, hey,” Keith gently brushed his fingers down Lance’s arm, in some kind of attempt to comfort him, “You don’t have to tell me this, not unless you feel comfortable with it.”

“Thanks, but after what you told me, you deserve to know at least this,” He looked down at Keith with a small smile before continuing, “Sometimes my father would get angry at me for no reason… would just lash out just to get all the angry feelings out that he’s held in…”

“Usually, I just went off into my room and cried… because as a kid, that’s the only thing I knew what to do…” Lance paused, and looked up at the sunset, his eyes a little watery, “I saw how close the ceiling was to the ground one day when father yelled at me. I used the railing to help me get up. The view was amazing, and it helped me calm down…”

“So, you’ve been coming up here ever since you were a kid?” Keith blinked at him.

Lance nodded and let out a small chuckle, “Whenever father would yell at me, no matter what the reason, I came here and every time it helped.” He let out a nervous laugh, “I even stayed up here for hours when father announced to me that I was gonna mate with you…”

Lance shook his head, trying his tears and shifted so that he could turn and face Keith, “But that’s not the point. The point is that… I hope this place can be a source of comfort for you here whenever you feel upset or stressed, as it has been for me for all these years…”

Keith stared at Lance for a moment, a little lost at his words, “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Lance smiled, and shifted himself over so that he could side hug Keith with one of his arms. “This can be our spot. We can come here to talk about shit and bitch about this entire thing.” Lance looked down at Keith and gave him the a sweet smile, “Alright?”

Keith stared at Lance’s smile, much longer than he should have. The orange and purple lights highlighted all of Lance’s features and made him more stunning than before. His blue eyes gave him a caring look, the smile on his brown lips never fading… it made Keith’s hard pound in his chest and he didn’t understand why…

The young Galra’s face began to turn red, well, it was more of a magenta color with the violet skin. Unsure what to do, he quickly nodded before scrambling out of Lance’s hold and creating a small distance between them. It looked really stupid, which made sense since Lance was looking at him, dumbfounded.

“S-Sorry!” Keith yelped out, a small voice crack coming with it, “I-I just… I-I’m--”

Keith’s stupid stammering was interrupted when Lance let out a loud laugh. He was hunched over lightly, his hand close to his mouth in attempt to quiet the laughs that were spilling from his lips like a waterfall, but it was useless. Lance looked so happy it made the already bright blush on Keith’s face grow.

Before he even knew it, Keith began to laugh too. It started it out as a small chuckle, but eventually Keith started laughing just as loudly as Lance. They tried to stop laughing, but seeing the other, for some reason, made them laugh and giggle even more. At one point, Keith began to snort in between laughs, with caused Lance to stop a bit and just stare at Keith with the biggest grin as chuckles escaped instead.

“Oh my god,” Lance chuckled loudly, “Did you just  _ snort _ ??”

“N-Nope…!” Keith tried to deny it, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Lance a look, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You did!” Lance gasped dramatically, pointing at Keith with an accusing finger. “You totally snort when you laugh!” Lance let out a quick giggle, “That’s so cute!”

Cute? The word caught Keith off guard and oh boy if he wasn’t already blushing up to his knuckles, than he sure was now. Why did Lance call him cute? Does he really think he’s cute? Did he truly mean it, or was it just the heat of the moment? Keith didn’t know and all he could do is sit there and stare at Lance as his blush continued to grow.

“D-Don’t be silly…” Keith looked away nervously.

“What?” Lance blinked at him, “it’s cute. Can’t deny that.”

“T-Thanks… I guess.” Keith looked down at the floor.

“Hey,” Lance carefully moved to Keith, and gently grasped his shoulder, and used his other hand to make Keith look at him, “I hope that I didn’t scare you there…”

“Well… guess it caught me off guard for a moment,” Keith blinked for a second, “But it’s okay. I’m fine. I guess I should take that as a compliment.”

Lance let out a long sigh, but of relief and not annoyance, “I just…” Lance paused and then he smiled again, giving Keith a loving look, “You’re a really nice guy, Keith. And even if the situation we’re in is a little awkward… I want to be good friends with you, Keith.”

_ Good friends _ …

Keith didn’t know why those words felt like he just got stabbed. Maybe it was how Lance kept smiling at him and the looks he gave him, maybe it was how kindly he treated Keith or the same scene of Lance calling his laugh cute ringing in the boy’s ears over and over.

Either way, Keith smiled at Lance, “Yeah, that’d be nice…”

“I’m glad…” Lance replied with a smile.

The two stayed like that for a while. Keith hardly even acknowledge that Lance’s thumb was still cupping his shoulder, now rubbing small circle with his thumb. In the end, Keith didn’t complain. His touch felt so comforting against that Keith found himself closing his eyes and letting his body relax, all the tiredness coming back to him.

The moment felt like something straight out of those weird romance novels Keith hates to admit he loves. It was usually in a scene like this were the couple would share a kiss or something like that. It was the perfect place: sitting on a roof of a building as the sun finished to set, and the stars twinkle above them. It couldn’t be more carefully set up and the outcome couldn’t be 

Lance didn’t seem to do anything besides stare at Keith and the way his sleepiness began to take over him. Curse his sleepiness, because when a yawn escaped Keith’s lips, Lance giggled at the boy and noticed his sleepy state. Keith had to admit, he did feel tired. Plus the sun had just finish setting and they were surrounded by the glowing stars that had already formed a the small bit of light the sun barely provided them.

“You sound tired,” Lance giggled, “And it’s getting dark. Let’s head back to our room.”

There was something about hearing Lance say our room that made Keith smile a bit. It wasn’t a big deal. It was the same room the two of them have been sharing for the last almost three weeks, so it is no different than how it was before, and yet it made Keith smile at the thought.

Once again, Lance stood up, removing his hand from Keith’s shoulder and offering to help Keith up again. The boy happily took it and was pulled up by Lance, who grinned.

However, this time, Lance didn’t let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sees nice commemts about this fic and starts crying* oh okay—  
> But serious!! Thanks for all the nice comments and for understanding the delay in updates!  
> Comments like those literally make my day so thanks!  
> Also sorry the chapters are sorta short(?) trust me they will get much longer over time *cough* shameless 12,000+ word chapter *cough*  
> I think I'll be bringing back regular updates again unless something comes up so stayed tuned!
> 
> Instagram: thosespacegays  
> Tumblr: thosespacegayss


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert loud and annoyed groaning for about an hour* THIS WAS SO LAZILY EDITED BECAUSE ITS LATE AND I HAD TO TAKE SO MUCH OUT BECAUSE OF HOW THE FIC'S CHANGED BYE—

(August 24th, 3:37am…)

“Day twenty-one… August twenty-fourth, 3:37am… What are feelings?” Keith sighed as he sat at Lance’s desk, same journal and inkpen in hand.

The last few days have been the most confusing days Keith had gone through. Ever since Lance brought Keith up to the roof to watch the sunset, Keith’s heart has been a mess and he had no idea how he feels about all of…  _ this _ . His emotions have been a bigger mess than a puddle of spilled milk and he doesn’t know what to do.

Not only that, but a new level of closeness came too. Keith and Lance have been able to talk to each other and very casually, as if they’ve know each other for years when it’s only been almost three weeks since Keith even arrived. It was nice for them to be able to talk comfortably, but his constant  and continuously pounding heart was thinking otherwise. 

Because Lance magically has all of this free time now, neither of them knew that to do. Lance, because of course he did, managed to find a solution. One day, as Keith was sitting down on the edge of the bed, reading a book, while Lance just laid on his side of the bed, he just randomly asked Keith his favorite color out of the blue. The question had almost caught Keith off guard, and he wasn’t sure how to respond for a moment.

“Keith, what’s your favorite color?” Lance asked as he dug his fingers into the blanket.

“What?” Keith looked over his shoulder and blinked at Lance.

“What’s your favorite color?” Lance asked again.

“It’s… red.” The galra shrugged, and looked down at his book.

“Nice,” Lance smiled, “Mine’s blue.” 

Keith paused, figured that Lance was finished and went back to his book again. However, that wasn’t the case, and Keith had starting to get slightly annoyed at Lance’s sudden motivation to spontaneously ask him questions. Keith felt the mattress shift behind him, and Keith realized that Lance had moved closer. What was this damn Altean prince up to?

“You said you liked strawberries, right?” Lance asked, “I love french toast. Not something they make all the time, but oh my god its so good!”

Again with the random commentary? What was Lance’s plan in all of this?

“I know, Lance…” Keith paused for a moment, “You already told me that, remember?”

“I know,” Lance let out a small chuckle, “I’m just bored.”

Keith let out a long sigh and placed him book down, marking the page he was on and closing it. Setting the book on the nightstand, Keith figured that that it was obvious Lance was trying to start up a conversation with him to cure him of this boredom. Ever since he was taken out of his classes, Lance hasn’t been able to find anything to entertain himself with aside from bugging him or trying to get to know him. Lance has said before he didn’t do much outside of classes, so he was a bored and clueless fool right now.

Keith stayed where he was, while Lance must’ve been moving again since Keith, once again, felt the mattress shift behind him. He was expecting Lance to stay on the bed, maybe sit next to Keith at most. What he wasn’t expecting was what had actually happened, and it didn’t help with all the confusing emotions that have created a tornado in Keith’s head.

Lance had his legs bent back so that he was sitting on them. He sat directly behind Keith, almost no space between them and Keith even felt the Altean’s breath against his neck. Swiftfully, Lance wrapped his arms around Keith’s shoulders and pulled him close so that he was hugging Keith from behind. Fire boiled in Keith’s skin his blush traveled down to his neck.

“Lance…” Keith muttered, managing to hold but the urge to stutter.

“I never asked, but… what is your ideal mate?” Lance asked, his voice lower than before, “Do you like tall or short Alphas? Or maybe ones with a nice laugh, or beautiful eyes… what would you want in your mate if you could be with anyone?”

Keith didn’t know how to respond, and at the same time, the words escaped his lips perfectly, “Someone… who always smiles, is full of energy. Someone who keeps trying to make sure that I’m happy and notices the little things about me… I guess. And… someone who can get me out of my comfort zone, but doesn’t force me to.”

The Altean prince moved his head past Keith’s shoulder, looking at him. His face was so close that it made Keith’s cheeks even warmer, “I was kind of expecting you to not have a type, or if you did, I wasn’t expecting something like that. But that’s a nice type.” 

Lance moved his head back and place his chin on top of Keith’s head, keeping his arms around Keith, “If I’m being honest, I want someone I can just… talk and hang out with. We could have complete opposite personalities, completely different dreams or opinions, but if they enjoy talking to me and like things I enjoy as well… like me for me and not for the money or just to hang out with a prince… and even with all of my flaws, that would be enough.”

Even if those words were spoken by Lance days ago, even now, as Keith sits in a dark room with nothing but a tabletop lamp providing him light at three in the morning, they ring in his ears. The warmth of Lance’s arms wrapped around him and his body pressed against him… Keith could still feel it too. He could never forget that feeling and he didn’t understand why.

As Keith looked down at the very words he wrote down, he decided to just write it and now say it out loud. He woke Lance up the last time he did… and he did  _ not _ need Lance to know about any of the words he was about to express with his pen.   
  


_ Day twenty-one - 9/24/xx - 3:37am _

_ What are feelings? That is something I have been asking myself for days now, because I honestly don’t know anymore. My feelings have been all over the place and my heart feels like it’s melting onto the floor…  _

_ A few days ago, Lance randomly came into our room, when he was supposedly with Hunk and Pidge. He looked really worried, and then he suddenly asked me to tell him more about my life before I came here, saying he’d tell his own in return. _

_ So, I did. I didn’t end up telling him everything, not yet… but In the middle of it, my feelings got the better of me and I began to cry. Lance immediately hugged me tightly and let me cry out all of the pain. Doing that felt good, and it felt good to actually have someone there to hold me close and comfort me. I was busy sobbing into this man arms, but I remember how his warmth clung to me and how his hand gently cherished my head, as if protecting me from all of the fear and anger I’ve kept down that was now released. For once, I felt truly safe. _

_ After that breakdown, Lance told me he was taking me to this… special place. It sounded weird, but I followed. He lead me outside onto a small balcony and helped me get onto the roof, since it was low enough to get on. What he showed me was a sunset beautiful beyond compare. _

_ When we sat down, Lance told me about his relationship with his father… how Alfor seemed to blame Lance for the death of his mother. Having a lack of a parent myself, I kind of understood. And I knew what it felt like to have a bad relationship with the remaining parent… _

_ Lance told me that the place was our spot, a place we can go as a source of comfort. It was a nice idea… Lance gave me a side hug at one point and the sudden contact caused me to flinch and scurry away. I thought Lance would’ve been angry at me… but he laughed. He laughed so hard I swear I saw tears forming. Of course, I laughed too. I ended up snorting and Lance thought it was cute… I never felt more heated up in my life. _

_ At one point, Lance cupped my jaw gently, assuring me like he always does, and we just stared at each other. I’m not completely sure, but I want to say Lance’s eyes were filled with some kind of feeling. Happiness, joy, fun, love... _

_ In that moment, I knew what I was feeling. For a while, I was unsure, not positive on what I was feeling was what I was thinking… _

_ But I know now. _

_ I like Lance. At least… I think I do. _

_ \--Keith _

 

Keith let out a long groan as he bent forward over the desk and put his head in his heads. He was an absolute mess, and he didn’t even know how or why. How could he easily let himself fall for someone after only knowing them for just over two weeks? What happened? What was it about Lance that made Keith like him so easily?

Maybe it was how Lance’s white locks stood out against his tan caramel skin, or the way his blue eyes shined like Keith was gazing at the ocean, the shades of blue like the waves that danced to the song the wind would sing to it. Or maybe it was the way he always smiled, like even the worst of things that could happen couldn’t make such a thing fade away. His laugh? Hearing it escape Lance’s throat always sent Keith’s stomach in a whirl like a hurricane forming in the ocean. Lance always laughed. Keith couldn’t think of a time he didn’t. Whether he’s happy, sad, angry… Lance laughs and smiles like he always does.

Maybe it was all these little things that made Keith feel this way… or maybe it was that his heat was getting closer by the day. His heat was less than two months away, but that still doesn’t mean that Keith could just be feeling this way because of the fact that he is finally getting attention from an Alpha…

The boy shook his head furiously. No way. It couldn’t be that. Even if he was an Alpha or a Beta, Keith would still feel this way; he knows he would. Keith knew that Alphas released pheromones to attract Omegas, but this love he feels isn’t a sexual one. It was different. Lance made Keith  _ happy _ . From his dumb smile, his dorky personality, his soft smile and the way he assures Keith that he can do what he pleases… it’s all the little things. The little things Lance does to make Keith feel happy and welcomed… those are what made Keith like him.

He didn’t know what he was going to do now. Regardless, Keith and Lance were going to mate, but would Lance even feel that way about Keith? He knew that Lance was very upset at the idea of this whole thing, so would Lance ever love or care about him?

Keith was snapped out his thoughts when he felt someone’s hands gently grasp both his shoulders. Flinching, Keith removed his head from his hands and looked back to see Lance. How did Keith now hear him get up? Surely he would’ve heard the shuffling of his body and his footsteps. Was he that lost in thought?

“Keith,” Lance whispered, tiredness still heavy in his voice, “Is something wrong? What are you doing up? It’s the middle of the night.”

“S-Sorry…” Keith mumbled softly, “I didn’t mean to wake you up. I guess I just couldn’t sleep…”

“Don’t worry, you didn’t,” Lance assured Keith with a gentle squeeze of his shoulders, “I just woke up and saw you weren’t in bed so I got worried.” The boy glanced past Keith and saw the journal that sat on the desk, “What’re you writing there?”

Immediately, Keith slammed the book shut with a single flip. He did not need Lance reading that, especially  _ that _ entry. “Nothing much… a little diary I guess.”

“ That’s nice, but you should be sleeping,” Lance reached over to grab Keith’s wrist and guided Keith out of the chair, “Your father is coming tomorrow, or rather later today, but regardless, he is coming here, so you need plenty of rest for his arrival…”

Keith groaned. Of course he nearly forgot about it. Alfor told all of them earlier today that Zarkon would be coming to the castle with Lotor and Shiro. According to Alfor, Shiro would be staying from now on to make sure Keith was safe and Zarkon would be staying for a few days to make sure everything was going smoothly. He briefly heard him mention that they’d be discussing in further debt about their marriage, bht Keith didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t know how long, but Keith knew Shiro would be staying at least until he and Lance were married…

“I know you don’t want to see your father, but please,” Lance turned to face him when they got to Keith’s side of the bed, looking a little concerned, “You have to get some sleep.”

“I know, but I can’t sleep knowing he’s going to be here, even if just for a few days…” Keith sighed, “He’s probably going to stomp around and say that I should be fulfilling your every wish or some shit...” Keith paused to make air quotes, “‘You have to please your Alpha like a good little Omega’. Little shit…”

Lance snorted out a chuckle, which caused Keith to blush a bit, “Is it really that bad? You know you don’t have to do any of that here, so rest easy.” Lance then looked down at him with a serious look, “But seriously, please get some rest, or I’ll worry my ass off all day.”

“All right, all right,” Keith smirked, giving Lance a playful shove, “I’ll sleep. So now  _ you _ better rest easy.”

“I will now, knowing you’re getting some sleep.” Lance smiled and walked around their shared bed and got onto his side.

The two of them climbed into bed and they both got themselves comfortable in the sheets and large blanket. Before Keith settled his head on the pillow, he glanced over to his left to see Lance. It wasn’t anything new, and it shouldn’t be too surprising, but Keith’s eyes widen at the sudden displayed bestowed upon him.

Instead of facing away from him, Lance was facing towards the middle and towards Keith. The tan boy carefully laid on his sides with the blanket pulled up to meet his shoulders. He relaxed himself in the comfortable sheets, even nuzzling into his pillow, but then looked up at the slightly confused Keith.

“Aren’t you going to lay down?” Lance asked casually, “Can’t really sleep without lying down.”

“Y-Yeah, sorry,” Keith quickly began to settle down onto the bed, “Just got a little… distracted.”

Lance seemed to accept that answer as Keith was beginning to settle under the blanket. For a moment, he debated about whether or not he should turn to face Lance. He knew Lance seemed comfortable with the concept of them facing each other, so might as well give it a try. There wasn’t any real harm in doing so, right?

Keith turned to his side to face Lance and let himself relax in the comfortable fabric that the sheets had. The boy noticed that Lance looked a little shock at Keith’s actions, but the expression disappeared as quickly as it came and Lance just watched as Keith began to nestle himself onto his pillow.

“Goodnight, Lance.” Keith smiled as he relaxed into his pillow.

“Sweet dreams, Keith.” Lance smiled too and let their tiredness take over them both.

-

(11:16am…)

Keith’s nervous. Lance could smell it. 

The two boys were in the throne room with Alfor and Allura with them. Alfor sat grandly on his throne, while Lance stood next to Alfor with Keith at his side and Allura standing on the other side. Coran was off at the entrance to help with Zarkon, Lotor, and Shiro’s arrival, guiding them to the throne room when the time came.

Both boys had to dress up in grand clothing for their arrival. Lance wore a skintight black undershirt with a white top that was tucked into black pants with a golden belt. He had white thigh high boots with golden ends and he had a light blue cape wrapped around his shoulders that went down to his ankles. According to Lance, they were traditional Altean formal wear that most Altean royalty prefer to wear.

Keith wore something in similar style. He wore a tight black undershirt with a dark violet vest on top of it and matching pitch black pants with similar colored shoes. He had a light purple cape similar to Lance’s, but it was held by a pin was draped down his back. The outfit wasn’t anything too dramatic, but it was enough for Keith to feel satisfied. 

Speaking of Keith, the boy was shivering like a baby animal left in the cold, but it wasn’t the cold that bothered him. Lance knew he was nervous about seeing his father again. Seeing Zarkon, one that never payed attention to him and only hurt him, must’ve made Keith feel uneasy. Lance frowned at the thought. Even if him and Alfor didn’t have the best relationship, it wasn’t as bad as Keith’s situation.

Wanting to comfort him, Lance carefully reached up and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. The boy flinched slightly before he turned to look back at Lance with a shocked expression coloring his face. Lance simply gave him a smile, hoping it would be enough to comfort Keith. He knew what kind of hell Keith had gone through, so seeing the man who caused all of it must’ve hurt…

Keith gave Lance a smile, but a sad one. He muttered a quick thank you before he looked forward again. Lance found himself smiling a bit when he saw the Galra prince move a little closer to stand right next to Lance, their shoulders brushing against each other.

“So, Keith,” Alfor turned to look at Keith and Lance, “How does it feel to see your father once again?”

Keith looked down at the floor, his expression blank, “I suppose I’m glad to see if my father and the others are doing well…”

“Ah, that’s right.” Alfor raised his eyebrows a bit, “Your brother and one of the general of the royal guard is coming too. I must be nice to see them again.”

“I haven’t talked to my brother for some time,” Keith wasn’t lying. Even before he left, he hadn’t talke to Lotor much, “It’ll be nice to see him again, yes.”

The thought of meeting Keith’s older brother made Lance curious. He’s only heard so little about Lotor that he doesn’t know what kind of person he is. From what Lance has learned from Keith, Lotor looked almost nothing like Keith or their father and he was the next heir to the throne. Other than that, Lance had no idea what Lotor was like.

There was also Shiro. Lance has heard a lot more about this guy. From what he knows, Shiro was a general of the royal guard and has been very close with Keith ever since he was young. When Keith wanted to learn to fight, Shiro was the only one who taught him anything at first, which is supposedly how him and Keith met each other.

Keith’s told him a bit more since, saying that Shiro is one of the most full blooded Galra in the kingdom. Full blooded Galra has eyes that lacked irises and were just a pure yellow. They were also purple like the others, but most full blooded Galra had fur. Keith had smooth skin, so Lance always wondered what part of a race he is.

And Keith’s father… Lance has heard enough about her to know what to expect. He’s never met or seen him in person, but Keith gave him this idea that Zarkon was stubborn, someone who would do anything to get their way and doesn’t accept no for an answer. Lance figured that Zarkon would act more mature around them, but he may have that same hot temper that Keith does.

Lance’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of the guards opening one of the grand double doors that lead into the throne room. The boy quickly straightened his posture and make himself look serious as the honored guests came in. In that moment, as three Galra followed behind Coran, Lance knew which one was Zarkon because he was huge, with bulky armor that made him look larger than he already was.

Zarkon had grey-purple skin with darker skin that touched the tip of his nose and ran back down his head until it reached the bottom of his neck. He had dark eyes and bulky red and purple armor that featured silver and golden accents. He looked far more intimidating in person, and even Lance felt a chill as he entered the room. No wonder Keith was so nervous…

The other two, Shiro and Lotor, looked much different and, again, due to Keith’s description of them, Lance knew exactly who was who.

To Zarkon’s right was Lotor. When Keith said that he’d be surprised they were brothers, he wasn’t kidding. Instead of the dark colors that both Zarkon and Keith possesed, Lotor had long, pure white hair that fell all the way down his back. His violet skin was way lighter and pale, and he didn’t have any kinds of markings that Keith had, but he definitely had Keith’s eyes. Lotor wore bulky armor that was similar to Zarkon’s, but with a lot less bulk and more color on it and Lance didn’t even know how to describe it. Loto definitely put the phrase “dress to impress” into reality

Shiro stood to Zarkon’s left, looking tall and proud. The guard’s uniform was a dark purple color that had red accents and long markings on the front, which represented being general. He wore a tight black bodysuit that ended at his neck and went down to cover his feet while the heavier armor rested on top of it. Shiro had violet fur, nearly pure black at the top, and large chunks of fur at the top of his head were pure white, most likely due to stress or other causes.

Coran stood off to the side as Zarkon, Lotor, and Shiro approached the throne. Zarkon looked very serious, but Lance couldn’t help notice the little glances that Lotor  _ and _ Shiro gave to the side, specifically the side Keith was standing on. Lance smiled a little to himself. They must’ve been worried about Keith and he was glad he had others from home who worried about him.

“King Zarkon,” Alfor stood up boldly, opening his arms up to gesture to the room, “I am glad you were finally able to come and see our humble castle.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Zarkon nodded, and them turned to look at Keith, but it looked more like a glare, “I hope my son has been treated well, especially since I could not have anyone to look out for him.”

Lance could almost feel how Keith tensed up when Zarkon looked at him. Was he really that bad? Of course, Lance knew that Zarkon had to act different around other rulers and royal class, but he didn’t seem too bad. However, Lance was also so quick to judge, and he could really be as bad as Keith says he is.

“Of course,” Alfor nodded, “We made sure that Keith was well treated here.” Alfor turned to Keith slightly, “Isn’t that right, Keith?”

The boy nodded a little, still a bit nervous, “Yes. I’ve had a lovely stay here for the past few weeks… they have all been nothing but kind to me.”

“That’s good,” Zarkon smiled a little, but it quickly faded, “I assume that his future mate has been taking good care of him sense.” He looked at Lance, as if expecting him to reply.

Damn, Keith wasn’t wrong when he said that this man was bold, bossy, and expected to be answered when he addressed someone. Even Lance flinched a little, “Of course. I’ve been look out and caring for Keith since the moment he arrived.” Lance hoped that response was good enough for him.

“It brings me pleasure to know that my son has a strong, loving Alpha that can take care of him.” Zarkon turned to face Alfor again, “So, when shall we not waste any time, and discuss the future arrangements, your majesty?”

“As soon as you are settled in, if that is alright.” Alfor suggested.

“That is fine.” Zarkon nodded, and then turned to Lotor, “Would it be alright of my son, Lotor, attended as well?”

Alfor looked unsure for a moment, but quickly nodded. He must know how Zarkon truly is… “Of course. Now, I’ll have someone take your things to your rooms. For now, feel free to explore the castle as much as you like before the meeting.” 

Three servants, all female, came into the room, each one of them holding a bag that belonged to each of them. Immediately, Zarkon went over to the women that had his things and kindly asked if she could show him to his room. The women bowed a little and proceeded to guide Zarkon out of the room and down the halls, while Lotor and Shiro stayed put.

“Now, if you all will excuse me,” Alfor turned to Lotor and Shiro, “I have some work to do before that meeting. Please don’t hesitate to ask anyone if you need anything” With that, the king quickly left the room through another pair of double doors.

“Oh thank god that’s over,” Allura groaned, walking over to Lance, “It felt like he was going to rip our throats out.”

“That’s my father…” Keith muttered.

“Keith! Get yourself down here and say hi!” Shiro suddemly called loudly.

Immediately, Keith smiled and made his way across the room to greet Shiro and Lotor, leaving Lance alone with his sister. They both looked very happy to see Keith, both sharing large smiles. Keith first hugged Lotor, and then got a giant bear hug from Shiro, making him almost lose his breath. Lance snorted at Keith’s groaning until the general had put him down. Lance could hear them speaking, but he couldn’t decipher what was being said in the conversation. Regardless, Keith looked… really happy. Lance has seen Keith smile and laugh, but he’s never seen him like that, grinning like an absolute fool.

Seeing Keith like that made Lance smile. He was glad that he was surrounded by those who made Keith feel comfortable, because the boy had already been through hell and back, so it was nice to see him talking with familiar friends.

“Sooooo…” Allura looked at up Lance with a smirk, “Care to explain the stare and the smile?”

“W-What?” Lance shook his head and blinked at her, “I-I wasn’t staring!”

“You so were!” The princess grinned, “Come on, just admit you think Keith is cute so you can go and make out with him already.”

“Allura!” Lance yelped, voice cracking a bit, “Don’t be ridiculous! I do not think Keith is cute.” He was  _ mostly _ lying. He’s admitted maybe once or twice that Keith was cute, but he refuses to acknowledges it again.

“Come on, Lance,” she elbowed his side, “Don’t pretend that I don’t notice the way you look at him.”

Lance let out a long groan, “Just because me and Keith get along and have become better friends, doesn’t mean that I think he’s cute.”

“Well…” Allura looked at him, “You have to admit, he is a pretty attractive Omega.”

For the most part, Allura wasn't wrong. From Keith’s soft and strangely uniquely colored hair, beautiful violet eyes, smooth skin, that rare smile he never shows and laugh that only a few special chosen can hear… Lance would have to make up a new word to describe it. He’d admit anyday Keith was attractive, but that didn’t mean that felt that attraction towards him

“Yeah. I suppose he is” Lance smiled a bit as he looked at Keith, not even realizing what he just said.

“Aha!” Allura stood in front of Lance, shoving an accusing finger at Lance, “You do think he’s cute!”

“ALLURA!”

-

(11:42am…)

Keith grinned happily as he carefully raced over to where Lotor and Shiro were standing. He hasn’t seen both of them in a while. While it’s only been a few weeks since he last saw Shiro, Keith can’t even think of the last time he’s had a proper conversation with Lotor.

By the time Keith got there, he was attacked by his older brother in a tight hug. Of course, Keith hugged back and took a second to cherish the moment of hugging his brother, something he hasn’t done in a long time. Since Zarkon has Lotor on a tight chain and always kept him busy, they couldn’t talk to each other very often.

Immediately after Lotor released him, Keith was pulled off the ground by Shiro and he gave the tiny Galra a large bear hug. Even if he just saw Shiro when he first came here, he still missed being able to see the Galra every day, even if he couldn’t train with him anymore.

“Shiro…!” Keith managed to choke out, “You’re crushing me!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Shiro smiled as he put the smaller Galra down. Shiro was at least over a foot taller than Keith, so Keith always had to look up, “I’m just happy to see you.”

“Me too,” Lotor smiled softly, placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “How have things been? You seem to be looking well.”

“It was hard to adjust at first…” Keith confessed shyly, “But it’s been good.”

“So,” Shiro bent down to look Keith directly in the guy, “Has Prince Lance been treated you well?”

“He better be,” Lotor’s voice suddenly turned cold, “Wouldn’t want anyone to be treating my baby brother poorly.”

“Guys,” Keith groaned, rolling his eyes, “I’m fine. Besides, Lance…” Keith smiled a little, “He’s a really nice guy… better than I expected.”

Lotor and Shiro looked at each other for a moment, and then back down at Keith. The boy was smiling like an absolute idiot and no one could ignore or deny the magenta colored blush that formed on Keith’s cheeks, even traveling up to his ears.

“So, are we ever going to meet this Lance guy?” Lotor looked at Keith questionably.

Keith glanced back behind his shoulder to see Lance talking with his sister, but it looked more like a playful argument, “Alright, I’ll get him.”

Turning his back to Shiro and Lotor, Keith rushed over to the throne, where Lance was playfully getting teased by Allura about something, but she stopped when Keith approached, “Lance! Come on, I’ll introduce you to Lotor and Shiro!”

While Lotor and Shiro couldn’t see it, Keith was smiling brightly at Lance. The boy wasn’t sure if he could tell them about liking Lance the way he does, especially considering how miserable he was the days before he came here, but that was before he met Lance and somehow fell for his stupid charms within a matter of weeks.

He saw Allura smirk for a second before she shoved Lance over to Keith. She told them that she’d be going her her room. As Allura left, Keith couldn’t help but quirk his brow at the way Allura kept smirking and snickering, but pushed if aside when Lance came forward with a smile.

“So I finally get to me these very special people from your childhood?” Lance chuckled a little.

“Yeah, now come on!” Before Keith even knew what he was doing, he was grabbing Lance’s wrist and began to literally drag Lance over to wear Shiro and Lotor was standing. He couldn’t really help it. He was just so excited to introduce Lance to them that he found himself grinning when they stood in front of the tall Alphas.

While Keith couldn’t tell, Shiro and Lotor found themselves smirking at the other when they saw the way Lance looked at Keith. The boy just allowed him to drag him to them like that, but he was also smiling down at him, and the glow in his eyes never faded as he kept his gaze on Keith.

When Keith let go of Lance’s arm, he gestured toward Shiro and spoke, “This is Shiro and my brother Lotor,” he then gestured to Lance, “Lotor and Shiro, this is Lance.”

They both smiled as they both reached their hands to have Lance shake them, and Lance quickly shook them both, “Nice to finally meet the legendary brother and the fabled Galra who taught Keith to fight. Didn’t get to talk to you that much when you first came here.”

Shiro quirked his brow up, “Keith told you about that?”

“Yeah,” Lance shrugged casually, “You’re Shiro, the guy that taught Keith about fighting and a good friend of his,” and then he gestured to Lotor, “And the brother said to look nothing like him.”

Lotor snorted out a small laugh, “Well, you’re not wrong.”

“Either way,” Shiro stepped in, “I’m glad that Keith seems happy here.”

“Yeah…” Keith looked down and gave them a shy smile, “It’s been nice.”

Shiro and Lotor, once again, looked over at each other. Both of them had that serious look and an understanding seemed to zap between them and Lotor gave Shiro a slight nod. 

“Hey, Lance,” Shiro spoke up, “Why don’t you show Lotor his room? You could probably get to know him more while I catch up with Keith.”

“Ah, sure, no problem.” Lance grinned, and then looked up slightly at Lotor, “Follow me…?”

Lotor nodded and allowed Lance to lead the way. They went over to the servant who had Lotor’s things and took the bag. The servant insisted that she could take Lotor to his room, but Lance assured her that he’d like to do it himself and get to know the future king. After a few words simple words were shaded, Lance disappeared down the hall with Lotor.

As Keith watched them go, Shiro suddenly spoke up, sounding very serious, “Okay, spill it boy.”

Keith flinched at Shiro’s sudden raised voice and looked up at him with his eyebrow quirked up, “What do you mean by  _ that _ ?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Shiro randomly smirked, “I saw the way you looked and acted around Lance.”

Keith’s face suddenly heated up like a fire. Did Shiro know? Was his crush on him really that obvious? What the hell did Keith say or do that made Shiro put the pieces together?? He knew that he could talk to Shiro or even Lotor about this, but it still felt awkward for him.

“Is it really that obvious…?” Keith whispered in a low tone.

“Yes.” Shiro deadpans.

“Ugh,” Keith groaned, hiding his blushing face in his hands, “I bet the entire kingdom that Lance knows…”

“I’m not sure if Lance knows, but he obviously likes you too.” Shiro said.

“And what makes you say that?”

“I don't know. I just got this feeling… it’s hard to explain.” Shiro says.

Keith let out a chuckle, peeking between his fingers, “He does  _ not _ like me.”

Lance sighed, “You’re just as oblivious as him.”

“Shiro, no one is oblivious,” Keith sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away slightly, “I like Lance, but I’ve only known him for a short time, and I doubt he feels the same way… maybe as a friend but… I don’t think Lance could fall for me as fast as I did, if he ever does… I’m willing to accept it.”

Despite what Keith said, Shiro was just silently praying the poor boy was wrong, and wondered exactly what was being said down the hall by Lance and Lotor.

-

(11:58am…)

Overall, Lotor’s bag was fairly light for a bag that carried clothes for the next few days. That could’ve been his Alpha strength he naturally has, but either way Lance was able to carry Lotor’s bag over his shoulder with ease, while the young prince followed. Lance understood Lotor’s reasoning for wanting to speak to him. Both of them were going to rule over their respective kingdoms one day, and Lance was going to mate with the guy’s little brother, so of course Lotor would want to get comfortable with Lance.

Lotor was exactly how Keith described him, at least appearance wise. They definitely did not look alike at all. Lance could barely find anything similar between them when it came to their overall appearance. Keith had unique, messy multi-colored hair, while Lotor’s was pure white and well cared for. Lotor had pale purple skin while Keith’s was a darker violet and had stripes that stretched down his neck and back. Keith was small, while Lotor was tall and mighty. Of course, that was just because Lotor was an Alpha.

If there was one thing Lance thought was similar in they appearance, it was their eyes. Large eyes surrounded by a light yellow glow with an ocean of dark violet standing out against it. They had the same eye color and almost the same shape, aside from Keith’s being a little bigger. Other than that, they looked completely different. Obviously Keith inherited his traits from his mother, so most of Lotor’s must’ve come from his mother… it was odd. It was actually very common for an Omega’s child or children to inherit most of their traits from the one who impregnated them. Keith and Lotor must’ve gotten most of their traits from the other parent.

However, Lance didn’t want to pry, so he kept quiet until they got to Lotor’s room.

Lance stopped at a large door with another sign written in the ancient Altean language. The teaching of the language was mostly abandoned, but some did know how to read it. It was tradition that all the Kings or King of their respective kingdom knew their ancient language, which most of them did, so Lance was able to read the sign flawlessly, which translated to “Guest bedroom 2”.

“This is the room you shall be staying in,” Lance commented as he opened the door.

The room had a very basic design and setup, nothing too fancy or amazing. A large bed was pushed up against the center of the wall that had white sheets and pillows. The back wall had a large window with a small built-in bench under it with cushions on top of it. In the front of the room to their right, a small dresses sat for clothes. Other than a few small paintings that were framed and hung up on the wall, it was a simple room.

Lance set Lotor’s things down on the bed as the other prince curiously observed the place he’d be staying at. He didn’t seem angry or disliked it, but the curiosity in the Alpha’s eyes made Lance feel a little uneasy. It was one thing if he offended Keith, it was another if he offended the heir to the throne.

“It’s a cozy little room…” Lotor smiled down at Lance. While they were both Alphas, Lotor was a little taller than him. “Thank you.”

“No problem, Lotor.” Lance nodded, and then began to make his way to the door, “I’ll let you unpack and get settle in.”

“Wait, Lance!” Lotor called out, which caused Lance to flinch a bit and turn to face Lotor, quirking his brow up, “I-I apologize… I just wanted to ask you something.”

“Is something wrong?” Lance asked, walking over to the prince.

“It’s just…” Lotor paused for a moment, thinking. “Has Keith really been doing alright? He said that he was, but I want to make sure. He… has a tendency to not want to burden anyone with his problems. He’ll say he’s fine, even if he’s not, just to try and not make them worry.”

Not want to burden anyone with his problems? From what Lance has seen, Keith’s been a bit open to Lance about his life before coming here and seemed comfortable enough to talk to him about it. Sometimes Lance sees Keith struggling with a few things and usually he insists he’s got it, but was Keith really that persistence about not burdening others.

“At least from what I’ve seen, he seems better than when he first came here, Lance placed his fingers on his chin, thinking for a moment, “He was awfully quiet for a while. He had to follow me around a lot, but he never really spoke to me that much unless necessary… and would always just read.”

“What about now?” Lotor asked, “Has he been okay? I’m… just worried for my brother.”

“He’s happier than he first was, I think…” Lance smiles a little at how Keith has been recently, “He smiles a lot more now and seems to be able to talk to me easily. I can’t say he’s still too happy about the whole mating thing, but…” he looked up at Lotor, “I think he’s happier.”

Lance saw the way Lotor paused for a moment, and then revealed a small smile, “I’m glad he’s at least comfortable…” another pause, and then he eyes down at Lance, “So you say he’s been able to talk to you and be more comfortable around you. So you’ve both made an effort to get closer?”

“I guess you could call it that,” Lance shrugged a little, “When he first came, we didn’t really talk to each other unless we had to. It took a bit of time, but he eventually started to talk to me more. Now, I’d like to say we’re pretty decent friends now.”

Lance quirked his brow at the way Lotor’s eyes widen a little. Why was he so surprised? Lance had expected Keith to eventually get comfortable with him, so it was no shocker that he is. Then again, it’s only been a almost three weeks since Keith’s arrived, so it could be a little odd.

“I’m… truly surprised.” Lotor blinked for a second, “It was always hard for Keith to get comfortable with someone and let out his true colors… I’m shocked at how he acted around you. You have only known each other for a short time, and yet he seems so carefree around you.”

Lance figured Keith was like that. He was so distant and mysterious that Lance hardly knew anything about Keith almost three weeks ago. Bit by bit, the two of them started to get closer and even confided in each other about personal things, and Keith seems to feel comfortable around Lance, but he thought Keith was just like that. Did it really take him a while to get comfortable around new people?

“I guess he is…” Lance muttered awkwardly, unsure of what else to say.

“What do you think of my brother?” Lotor suddenly asked.

“What I think…” Lance thought for a moment. “I-I think he’s… really amazing. He was so quiet and reserved when he first came here, really shy… but bit by bit, he showed his true self and became comfortable around me. Now he’s always smiling, but still a little grumpy hot head. If anything… I’m just glad he doesn’t hate me…”

“Amazing, huh?” Lotor looked down at him, a slight smirk forming, “What makes him so amazing?”

“Is this a threat of sorts?” Lance stared at him, “If I same something bad, are you going beat the shit out of me like a protective big brother?”

“Yes,” Lotor deadpans, then lets out a chuckle at Lance’s rapid blinking, “I’m kidding. I just want to know what you truly think of him.”

Lance hesitated to reply to Lotor’s question. Could he really tell him about that kind of thing? It was one thing if he at least knew them for a short time like he did with Keith, but he just met Lotor. Not only that, but this was said boy’s older brother. Could he even talk about this with him?

He heard Lotor sigh, and then he spoke up, but his voice was more gentle, “You don’t have to if you want to. It’s just… Keith looked really happy, happier than I’ve seen him in years. He wasn’t much better when he got the news of this arrangement, so seeing him look so happy here… I just want to get to know the one who most likely made him feel this way.”

The words that went through Lance’s ears made him feel glad that Lotor really cared about Keith and his well being. According to the boy himself, Lotor was always really busy since he was the next heir and their mother wanted to prepare Lotor as much as she could, so hearing the man feel happy his brother was doing well… it warmed Lance’s heart.

“Being honest…” Lance paused for a moment, “I think Keith is… just fantastic. He always gets really pouty when I joke at him… but in the end he always ends up laughing along with me.” Lance didn’t even realize he was smiling wider, “I’m just glad he’s smiling and happy more.”

Lance didn’t even realize what he said until he heard Lotor chuckle almost sadly. “Me too…” He paused. Lotor looked a little sad for a moment before he shook his head and smiled slightly and gave Lance a quick pat on his shoulder, “Now if you don't mind, I’d like to get settled in.”

“Ah, of course, go ahead.” Lance nodded, and then turned to the door, “I’ll leave you to it.” A pause, “See you later?”

Lotor nodded, “See you soon.”

-

(12:47pm…)

“So?” Shiro asked as he sat down on the edge of Lotor’s bed.

“I can’t even confidently say for sure. He seems to still think they’re just friends. ” Lotor simply said, standing by the large window and gazing out of it, “And what about Keith?”

“He definitely liked him,” Shiro replied, “And what are we going to do about it?”

The Galran prince looked down a little, “There isn’t anything we can do about this.”

“Yeah…” Shiro sighed, “So, are we just going to let them figure this out on their own?”

“That would be best, yes.” Lotor turned to Shiro, “While Keith does like him, Lance shows no signs of returned feelings as far as I know. We just simply have to wait and see… ”

Shiro paused, “Right…”

As much as Shiro hated doing nothing, he knew Lotor was right. If Lance didn't like Keith, then there was nothing they could do about it. They couldn’t force Lance to like Keith, even if it meant the small Galra’s heart could be broken. Shiro remembered that they just needed patience, and that just maybe, Keith could have happiness here in his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao more boring chapters and rushed development stuff lol.  
> IM STILL SAYING THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS BECAUSE IM CRYING—  
> And I'm out of stuff to say bye.
> 
> Instagram: Thosespacegays  
> Tumblr: Thosespacegayss


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So,,, season 8,,,, yeah,,,,,,

(August 24th, 2:47pm)

Keith let out a long sigh of relief as he slowly sunk into the mattress of his bed. He has been nervous since he woke up this morning, so Keith felt relieved that he could just rest for a little bit and forget about his father’s visit. After catching up with Shiro for a while, a maid came in and said that Zarkon had wished to see him as soon as possible. They didn’t know what he needed, but they both shrugged it off and Shiro went off with the maid and said they could talk later, so Keith chose to lay down for a little bit.

While they talked, Shiro constantly asked him about Lance. More specifically: why Keith liked Lance. It was annoying, but Keith knew that Shiro was just curious and wanted to give him some advice. Keith found it funny that Shiro kept trying to give him love advice, when said man has never had a mate or took interest in having one.

One of the pieces of advice that glued in Keith’s mind was that “Lance is going to like you for you, so be yourself”. It made sense. A lot of Alphas choose mates based upon how close they are with them and how the Omega acts overall. Sometimes Alphas bond with almost complete strangers, but most prefer someone they’ve known in the past. Would Lance have even wanted to mate with him if he wasn’t forced to? Does he even want to mate with him  _ now _ ? Keith didn’t blame him if he didn’t. Lance didn’t get much of a choice in this, and he robbed Lance of the one thing he was promised his entire life: to be with who he wanted to be.

Keith let out a small groaned and flopped his head onto the pillow with a groan. He shouldn’t really put himself down like that. Today has already been bad enough with having to see his bastard of a mother, so he should do what he originally came here to do and that was rest. With a small grunt, Keith settled himself under the blankets and laid on his back, staring up at the bland ceiling. Maybe he could take a nap until he was needed for anything. That is if he could even fall asleep. He was still running on high from the nerves of seeing his mother again, so he was a little hyper.

It’ll be fine, he thought. His father was only going to stay for a few days, then he will leave and he most likely won’t see him for a while. Keith didn’t know when he’ll visit again… probably when he and Lance… but at least that wouldn’t be for at least a long while. Speaking of… how would Lance and Keith’s relationship be once they were married…? They were pretty close now… but would Lance look at him the same afterwards? Would Lance feel disgusted with him? Would he hate Keith? He hoped not… Lance was one of the only things keeping Keith from breaking completely… he couldn’t lose him…

Keith flinched lightly as he felt tears stream down his face and faintly stain the sheets. He shouldn’t be crying right now. Lance was still here and he didn’t hate him… at least Keith hopes not. That was always a problem Keith had...he always let bad thoughts plague his mind when he was left alone with them.

Letting a sigh escape his lips, Keith turned to his side and looked over at the spot that Lance laid at when he slept. It felt strange not seeing the tan skinned boy there, his side pressed against the seats and all the features of his face glowing as he peacefully slept. He knew it had only been one night since Lance has slept facing Keith… but he remembered how Lance looked.

The soft light of the moon reflecting out of the window hit Lance’s face and made him glow in the best way possible. His soft hair sparkled against the light and his eyelashes looked like they dusted off stars that fell on them. His lips had a bright glow that made them look even softer than they appeared… and oh how badly Keith wanted to press his lips against them.

If Lance was willing to face Keith in his sleep, that must mean he doesn’t hate him, right? Lance doesn’t seem like the person to hold a grudge against someone over something they can’t control. Keith and Lance were friends with each other, at least, so Keith doubt that Lance could hold bad feelings about him.

Carefully, Keith reached over and let his fingers drag over the sheets on the place Lance had slept this morning. It was still a little warm from when Lance’s body was pressed against it. Keith let himself press his palm onto the white sheets and sighed a little. He wasn’t getting much rest now, so why bother?Unsure for a moment, Keith reached out with the same hand and pressed it against his pillow. It wasn’t as warm as the sheets, but it was still the same pillow Lance always used. There’s nothing special about it: a pure white pillows surrounded by a case with the same color, but it was the fact that it was Lance’s that made it special.

Letting himself be a little spoiled, Keith began to move onto Lance’s side of the bed and settle onto the place the boy rests. It wasn’t anything like the other side other than it felt a little odd to be lying on the opposite side Keith usually rests on, but when Keith’s head rested on the pillow, he gasped a little. While an Omega’s sense of smell wasn’t as strong as an Alpha’s, he still had one. And this pillowed reeked of just  _ Lance _ . It made Keith even push back to his side and stare at the pillow for a moment, but he already missed the sweet scents that danced together to create Lance’s smell.

Keith knew that Alphas constantly release pheromones that smell differently depending on the Omega that smelt it, usually smelling like something the Omega enjoys, but this smelt exactly like Lance without any other guidance from his natural abilities. It smelt like a variety of berries local to the Altea kingdom that had the sweetest scent ever. Mixed in with it smelled like something like cream and vanilla that just made the scent of the berries even more appealing. Mixed in there was also an Alpha’s natural scent; Lance’s natural scent.

Most Alpha’s natural scent sometimes smell like particular things, but it’s mostly there to help other Alpha’s identify each other. Each Alpha had its own unique scent that never smelled like another’s. When an Alpha bites an Omega and bonds with them, the Omega usually has it’s Alpha’s scent mixed with it’s own, and the Omega’s mixed with it’s Alpha’s. That’s how Alphas can tell if an Omega is claimed if they can’t see the bite mark. And how Alphas can tell if another one has a mate.

Lance’s natural scent smelled like… flowers. It actually smelled a lot similar to the flowers in the courtyard, as well as flowers from the large garden outside in the back. From what Keith has read, an Alpha’s natural scent is developed based off of things they tend to be around during their life before they present. Did Lance like to be in the gardens? All the scents that the pillow had nearly overwhelmed Keith. They were the same scents that Keith sometimes picked up when they were together, but being able to easily be surrounded by the scent within arms reach…

Without hesitating, Keith grabbed the pillow and flopped down onto his side, hugging it tightly nearly his chest and neck. Nuzzling his face into the top of the pillow, Keith let out a sigh as the familiar scent filled his nose. While Lance wasn’t here right now, perhaps having the familiar smell may help him get some sleep.

Keith was knocked out within ten minutes.

-

(3:39pm…)

“You wanted to see me, father?” Lance carefully walked into Alfor’s office.

From what Lance could tell, the quick meeting that Alfor had with Zarkon and Lotor seemed to be over and was quickly finished before it even started. All that Lance knew about the meeting was that they discussed in further detail about Lance and Keith mating…

His office was the place where Alfor did most of his work. Grey walls decorated it with two large banners on the wall to the left, as well as the right. They each were different colors that had symbols that represented the four primary kingdoms of this land: Altea, Galra, Balmera, and Olkari. Under each pair of banners had a loveseat under them. A long red rug that led up and under Alfor desk laid in the middle of the room, which land stood on now.

While Lance was still angry with his father about this arrangement, and hadn’t spoke to him much sense Keith arrived, he couldn’t just ignore his father when he asked for him to see him. Regardless, Lance was still angry, so he couldn't say whether or not he’ll walk out of this office feeling great or worse.

“Have a seat,” Alfor gestures to the loveseat that was to Alfor’s right.

With a shruh, Lance moved to the loveseat and sat on the cushion that was closest to the desk, and let himself settle on it nervously. Lance knew that if his father was having him sit down, it was either going to be very serious or Alfor was just going to keep him here for three hours straight.

Alfor set down the papers he was holding in front of him and looked at his son, “So, has have you and Keith been?”

“I am shocked you even care,” Lance looked away, avoiding to look at his father as his stubbornness took over.

The king let out a sigh, “Talk to me Lance, for once.”

“What is there to say?” Lance glared at him, “Oh yes, father. Me and the man you are forcing me to mate with are totally  _ madly _ in love with each other!”

“Lance, that isn’t the point.” Alfor sighed, “Are you and Keith at least getting along?”

The boy out a sigh that turned into more of a groan, “Yes.”

Alfor gave Lance an unimpressed look, “Are you just saying that? I know you talk to each other during meals, but do you talk to each other and spend time together?”

“Yes, father, I’m serious.” Lance turned to him, the annoyance in his voice faded, “Keith is actually a nice guy, okay? Will you stop with the pestering questions? What do you want?”

Alfor sighed once again, “Is it so wrong to want to talk you my son once and awhile?”

“You say that, and yet every time you want something,” Lance glared at Alfor once again, “Just tell me what you want so I can get out of here.”

The king paused, looking away for a moment, before looking up again, “If you were under normal circumstances, would you want to mate with Keith?”

The question caught Lance off guard for a moment, making his eyes widen and his eyebrows raise a little. The question was…  _ complicating _ . Lance didn’t even know how to answer. He definitely saw Keith as a friend, but as a mate…? It seemed completely unprecedented. He didn’t think he ever could feel that way about Keith.…

Lance blinked when he saw Alfor smile a little and chuckle, “Not a word necessary. Silence is the loudest cry, they say.”

“And what is that suppose to mean?” The boy quirked an eyebrow.

“Nothing, Lance,” Alfor picked up a few papers and set them down in front of him on his desk, “You can leave now, if you wish.”

So that’s what he wanted to know… Why was Alfor so concerned about whether or not Lance liked Keith in that way? It’s not like it mattered too much anyways. Regardless of whether or not they love each other, they were going to mate anyways, so why does he care?

Still at a loss, Lance stood up and made his way over the the door. Before he turned the knob, he glanced back to look at his father. He didn’t even pay attention to Lance as the man went back to whatever paperwork he works on that always keeps him busy. Hell, Lance didn’t even see his father glance up at him.

With a grunt, Lance turned back to the door and let himself out of the room as his father worked. He never understood his father and why he always tries to have these talks with him even though Lance is completely aware that his father wants something from him, whether it be a favor or just some information. 

Well, now Lance didn’t know what to do now. As far as he knew, he didn’t have anything else planned today. No meetings, no events, no nothing. It was honestly the first time in the last while that Lance has actually had something to do. With Alfor taking Lance out of his classes, he’s been left with a lot of free time. 

As much as Lance wanted to see Hunk and Pidge, he knew they’d be extra busy with Zarkon, Lotor, and Shiro’s visit, with Shiro permanently staying for a while. Lance knew better than to bother Hunk and Pidge, especially when they’re working hard right now.

Lance wondered where Keith might be at. Usually, he just found him either sitting around their room or roaming the halls like a lost fool because he doesn’t know where anything is. It’s really cute when Keith tries to find the library but gets lost almost every time, so he has to ask Lance or someone else.

Maybe Keith’s in their room. Knowing him, he probably wouldn’t want to wander around the castle knowing Zarkon could be around any corner he turns to. If Lance were in Keith’s shoes, he probably wouldn’t want to see the man that ruined your whole life either.

With a shrug, Lance began to navigate down the halls towards his bedroom. It was only a few halls down, so he shouldn’t really run into anyone besides one of the maids, if that. Every hall looked the same with identical walls and floors and the only way Lance even knows where he’s going is because he was raised here his whole life.

That, and Lance has been able to use little details to find out which hallway is which. Whether it’s windows, rug stains that could never get completely out, or even certain paintings or banners that hung on the wall. Each little thing had also helped Lance know where he’s going and which hall he is in.

The hall that had Lance’s room had several different paintings on the wall, and the hall itself lacks windows, instead having them in the rooms that were on one side of the hall, like Lance’s bedroom. His room was actually around the middle of the hallway, and it didn’t stand out too much other than the grand sigh next to it that had the words “Prince Lance’s bedroom” carved in the ancient Altean language. 

Opening his bedroom door, Lance walked in to see the the early afternoon sun was able to light the room as though a thousands lanterns were lit inside it. It was just as it always been, same bed and other furniture with several pieces of Lance’s own personal belongings. Even a few things Keith has brought with him have begun to appear.

Speaking of Keith, when Lance looked over at the bed, he saw the smaller Galra passed out on the bed. However, Keith was holding something tightly to his chest. It was hard to tell what it was, since the blankets came up to Keith’s shoulders and the bed was a fair enough distance away from where Lance was standing.

Lance let out a little smile. He was glad that Keith was able to get some rest after feeling so stressed about seeing his father. As Lance walked over to the bed, he began to notice that his side of the bed had a strange lack of the plain, white pillow he always laid his head on when he sleep. Keith’s was still there, supporting the boy’s head, but Lance’s appeared to be nowhere to be found.

When he got to the very edge of the bed, Lance got his answer.

Keith was holding onto Lance’s pillow tightly, hugging the thing and nuzzling into the top of it. He looked so relaxed and at ease and he held the pillow tightly. His closed eyes were relaxed and Keith seemed to allow his body to truly rest easy. Did Lance’s pillow really help him? Keith kept his nose buried into the pillow, like a child who was refusing to share their favorite toy with someone. His usually thick and gorgeous hair was now a mess of hair and his lips were slightly angled down, more relaxed.

Lance found himself smiling fondly at as he carefully moved to sit up on his side of the bed. Keith was sleeping right next to his hip, his nose just inches away. Keith looked so relaxed and at ease, much more calm than Lance has seen him. At least the boy has finally been able to relax more since earlier this morning.

Cautiously, Lance reached out to Keith and let the tips of his fingers brush against Keith’s soft hair. While he hasn’t touched it often, Keith’s hair was always very soft and well cared for. Lance didn’t understand how it could feel so unbelievably smooth when he’s never even seen Keith use anything besides regular soap on it.

Suddenly, Lance felt Keith shuffle under the light touch of his fingers, and the boy immediately pulled his hand away, much faster than he’d care to admit. Blinking at the sleeping Galra, Lance saw how Keith didn’t appear to wake up, be he did sink himself deeper into the mattress. Not only that, but he seemed to nuzzle deeper into the pillow he clung to his chest.

Lance flinched when he heard the sleeping Keith mumble something in his sleep, “Lance….”

A bright red filled Lance’s cheeks. Keith was saying his name? Why was he saying his name?? Was he having a dream about him? Lance was just so confused and flustered that he didn’t know what to think. The only thing he really could think about was Keith… just Keith.

Perhaps Keith will have another reaction if he touched his hair again. Reaching carefully, Lance let the space between his fingers fill up with the dark hair. It felt even softer now that his fingers cherished it carefully. Lance wished Keith would let him play with it while he was awake. He couldn’t get enough of this beautiful boy’s hair.

Speaking of, as Lance expected, Keith reacted once again. This time, Keith hummed happily as he attempted to lean into Lance’s touch, wanting to feel more of Lance’s hand. The boy also swore that a small smile appeared on Keith’s lips, but it was hard to tell since his face was buried in the pillow; Lance’s pillow.

Giving him what he wanted, Lance let his palm press against Keith’s head, fingers buried in his hair, and he rubbed the frizzy mess in carefully motions. Lance found himself smiling like an idiot when he saw Keith immediately relax under his touch and continue to rest peacefully. Did he find the touch of others relaxing? Did he find  _ Lance’s _ touch relaxing? Either way, Keith seemed relaxed. Did Keith feel relaxed around him? Why else would he cling to his pillow that probably reeks like him, and why would he feel so relaxed by simply touching him and petting his hair?

Lance thought he should stop, that he shouldn’t this because it was unfair. He still didn’t know how he felt about him, so he shouldn’t be doing this. It was unfair to Keith, and to himself. Keith may feel relaxed and cuddling with his pillow, but Lance didn’t want Keith to get the wrong idea when he wakes up.

And yet, Lance couldn’t seem to stop. His hand just seemed to naturally move along Keith’s hair that he just couldn’t find a stopping point. That, and Keith looked so relaxed, so peaceful… Lance wanted to stop, but his feelings got the better of him, like they always do.

“Lance…” Keith muttered in his slumber once again, before just mumbling a few words Lance couldn’t make out.

“Ugh, Keith…” Lance sighed, and then he moved his hand to cup the sleeping boy’s cheek, “Why are you playing with my head like this…?”

Of course, Keith didn’t respond, other than a slight shuffle and he seemed to nuzzle into Lance’s touch once again. Keith looked so relaxed… so innocent in this state that it made Lance’s heart jump in his chest. He didn’t understand why Keith’s sleepy state made his heart dance in his chest… he was just sleeping. It was no big deal, right…?

Shaking his head, Lance stood up and looked down at Keith with flushed cheeks. He breathed in a few heavy breaths before he quickly moved his hand down to grab Keith’s and squeeze it tightly for a moment, rubbing gentle circles across the knuckled before he let go of it and made his way back to the bedroom door, his heart hammering in his chest. Why? Why was Keith doing this to his emotions? Keith was just his friend, right…?

Of course he was. Keith was just Lance’s friend. Perhaps the feeling of holding his hand had helped him clarify some things. While sometimes Keith did things that made Lance feel flustered, but what if that’s just Lance’s Alpha side that was reacting to the presence of an Omega, especially in the situation they were in. It would make sense, right? Lance has never been around another Omega other than Adam, and even then, they were never around each other all the time.

The situation with Keith was different. This was an Omega he spends every single day with. Not only that, but said Omega sleeps in his bed with him, changes clothes in his room and showers in his room. He spends every second of every day with Keith. He’s never spent this much time with an Omega for this long, and it was probably having this effect on Lance that was making his feelings melt together in a giant mess.

Letting out a long sigh, Lance turned back towards the bedroom door and walked back down into the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SO SHORT.  
> When going through and editing the chapter, I had to take out a bunch of stuff because it had a lot of old stuff that wasn't in the fic anymore, so I had to take it out.  
> Also: I have a bit of stuff to say regarding this fic so thanks in advance for tolerating this.
> 
> 1) Hate to do this when this chapter is short, but updates are now going to be every other Friday. This is mainly due to how long the newer chapters I'm writing are. It's not nessicarily that I haven't been writing betwen updates, it's that they're much longer now than when I started writing this back in April (feels like forever ago) so I'm doing this to stay on track with updating  
> 2) Basically shamelessly promoting social media(?)  
> I know I always put my IG and Tumblr down, but I have a few other things.  
> —I have a Tellonym (https://tellonym.me/ThoseSpaceGays) and if you wanna ask questions regarding the fic, I'd prefer you do there (ur choice)  
> —I also made a spotify playlist a while back for this fic! (https://open.spotify.com/user/9ooqzpbswyjrkvmtzqis5pkve/playlist/3K1VB4x8anuzxBRWpV9P0A?si=8AEfvCWBQOibZXso4WWEpw&nd=1)
> 
> And that's it! Thanks for reading and for leaving all the nice complements! UwU


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update,,  
> I barely got any sleep the night before Friday and school's started back up and basically slept all afternoon and forgot to update  
> Enjoy!

(August 24th, 4:18pm…)

Keith sat up immediately and blinked dumbfounded at the situation that was at hand here. What just happened? And why? He was in such a panicked and confused state of mind that Keith could barely think straight. His thoughts were so scattered around his head that it was hard to keep track of them.

He had woken up maybe a whole two minutes before Lance came into the room. At the time, he just kept himself clung to the pillow and his head rested carefully on his. Keith didn’t even know how long he was asleep for, but he didn’t seem to care at the time. 

It was when he heard the sound of the door opening that he began to panic. Unsure of what to do, he just pretended to be asleep, hoping that overtime his sleepy state would get the better of him and he’d fall asleep within minutes. He found himself drifting off to sleep, while he assumed was Lance, was in the room. However, things took an interesting turn.

Keith had felt the mattress shift next to him on Lance’s side of the bed. That wasn’t good, especially considering he is cuddling with Lance’s pillow like a child with it’s favorite toy. It wasn’t necessarily the most natural sight in the world, at least to Keith’s standards it wasn’t. However, Lance didn’t appear to move or say anything, so Keith was safe.

Or so he thought.

At one point, Keith felt Lance’s fingers brush up against his hair. It made him want to gasp, but he managed a slight mumble. At first, the boy thought it was just an accident, that he didn’t intend it, so Keith just ignored it. However, his fingertips remained on his hair.

It felt good,  _ really _ good, even if it was barely touching his strands of hair. It made Keith want to say something,  _ anything _ , but something was keeping him from revealing himself. In some term of events, he mumbled Lance’s name, which was just  _ great _ . Keith thought that Lance would stop, or that he’d feel unsure and hesitate.

Oh, how wrong he was.

If anything, Lance kept going. This time, he took his long, delicate fingers and let the spaces between them lock onto Keith’s hair. He didn’t even move them or attempt to pet his hair. It were as though he was hesitating, or at the very least trying to get a feel for it. In the end, Keith thought it felt like being touched by an angel that came down from the heavens. Feeling Lance’s soft hands against his head was as though a mother comforting a child, something Keith never got to have.

Keith found himself smiling like a fool against the pillow and sighing happily. It should’ve been fine, since Lance could easily assume that it was nothing, or at least he was reacting to a dream of sorts. He seemed to assume that Keith was still asleep, so that appeared to be a good sign. Besides, what else would Lance even do?

A lot more, it seemed. After a quick moment, Lance began to actually pet Keith’s hair. It having his fingers between Keith’s hair didn’t feel good than oh god this definitely did. Lance’s hand moved in careful and flawless motion that it made Keith want to bite his lip to hold in his joy. Lance’s hand was so warm and soft against his hair and Keith feels as though he’s never felt anything that felt better than this very moment.

Keith couldn’t hold it in, so he went with another mumble of Lance’s name. Just like last time, Keith figured Lance would still think he was dreaming or it was because of some other action or event. Lance continued to pet his hair for a few more seconds until he stopped for a moment. Then, he spoke. It was in low whispers and loud enough for Keith to hear, but the words hit Keith like a sword to the heart that it caused him to freeze. People always used to say that some moments in life are so surprising that you feel like time had stopped. Keith finally knew what that meant when he heard Lance speak.

“Ugh, Keith… Why are you playing with my feelings like this…?”

After those words that felt like bullets hit Keith, he felt Lance’s hand move and carefully cup his jaw, cherishing it like it was the most fragile thing in the world. His hot palm pressed up against Keith’s cheeks felt so unreal that it was as though his hand were made of magic, something that didn’t exist in their own world. 

Keith found himself trying to lean into Lance’s touch to the best of his ability. There was nothing he wanted more than to lean against the boy’s touch and look deeply into his blue eyes, but he kept still. The situation would get really weird and awkward if Keith “woke up” and he didn’t want to ruin the moment. Keith cherished every second that Lance cupped his cheek like it was the last time he would do it, which was most likely the case.

Disappointment filled Keith’s head when Lance removed his hand from his cheeks, but his heart hammered at what felt like a million beats a minute at the sudden loss of Lance’s touch. He figured that Lance was done, or that he was at least going to leave Keith to his own thing.

Oh how wrong he was

His answer came to Keith too fast to process when he suddenly felt a tight squeeze against one of his hands. Lance began to rub small circles against his skin with his thumb, and it felt like magic, even if the gesture was so simple. However, he only got to cherish the moment for a short moment before Lance moved his hand away and stood up, the mattress shifting again under him before Keith heard the sound of footsteps and the door eventually closing.

And now here Keith was, sitting on the bed with his heated cheeks and his eyes wide open, his thoughts a blur and his heart a mess. All the events that lead to this moment replayed in Keith’s head until he literally got a headache from thinking about it too much. He pressed his hand into his forehead, his eyes squeezed shut, until he moved his gaze down and looked down at his lap.

What just happened? What was he going to do now…? Should he say something to Lance? He thought that Keith was asleep, though, so he’d have to tell him that he was awake when that happened… was it even worth it? What would Lance say when he found out that Keith was awake the entire time? Would he hate him?

Keith shook his head a little, and tried his best to think on the bright side. However, Keith was still unsure of what to do. Should he just go on like nothing happened, or should he bring up? Since Lance thought he was asleep, they would never have to bring it up, right? He could just ignore it… well easier said than done.

Keith let out a small groan as he threw his head into his hands. If his feelings weren’t a complete and utter mess before, they definitely were now. He could easily tell Lane later today how he feels… but at what cost? Lance did seem conflicted about something he was feelings, but it couldn’t possibly be about him, right?

As much as Keith wanted to run to Lance and scream out all the feelings that have been forming in his heart, he knew he should wait. And gave himself some time to think. Perhaps some time to actually think about the little crush he’s had for a whole week, if that, may be good for Keith.

-

(7:18pm…)

To say that Keith has been starting to act a little strange was a bit of an understatement.

Lance didn’t really know what happened to Keith that made him so flustered and jumpy, but something must’ve. Maybe a bad or weird dream? Or maybe someone said something to him that made him nervous? Then again, Zarkon was visiting at least until the morning after tomorrow, so maybe he’s still a little on edge knowing his father was around.

Keith was definitely that way with around his father, but this was different. In the time Lance has run into him today after he…  _ checked up _ on in during his nap, the small Galra flinched hard when Lance called out to him from the hallway. Lance didn’t think much of it at the time. He assumed that he just scared him with the sudden call, but that didn’t end up being the case.

When Lance approached Keith, the boy looked incredibly nervous, his cheeks a flushed magenta color and his body stiff. He was holding a notebook with a small book stacked under it and he seemed to be heading off somewhere. Lance was surprised, because Keith was never that nervous around Lance, hasn’t been since he first came here, so what was wrong?

“Hey, Keith,” Lance has said to him, “What are you doing?”

“I- um,” Keith was so nervous he could barely even speak, “J-Just… returning this book back to the castle library…”

“Hey, you feeling okay?” Lance reached forward to feel Keith’s forehead with the back of his hand, “You’re really warm and you’re voice sounds a little off.”

Lance’s eyes had widen when Keith immediately moved away when his hand touched his forehead, “D-Don’t worry! I’m fine.” He looked past his shoulder, “I-I’ll be back later. Got to return this book, a-and maybe get some more. Um… bye!”

With that, Keith ran off down the hallway with the book and notebook held against his chest. What was up with him? Keith was really flustered and uneasy, and he looked like he was doing everything in his power to try and get out of the conversation. Something must’ve been wrong, because this is the first time Keith has ever done this since they started getting along.

He saw Keith a few more times today, but he walked off into another area before Lance could even get close. Of course, Keith most likely didn’t notice Lance and went on with his business like usual, so Lance gave him a break on that, but that doesn’t excuse why Keith’s been so nervous around him. Hell, Lance even saw him speaking to Allura earlier without any problems.

Maybe Shiro knew what was wrong. He’s very close with Keith and he most likely knows everything about him, so maybe Keith talked to Shiro about it? It was the best lead that Lance had, really.

Wondering the halls of the castle, Lance tried his best to look for Shiro. His first guess was that he was in his room, considering he didn’t know where everything was around the castle, but he wasn’t there. Lance’s second guess was that he’d be with King Zarkon but… he wasn’t too fond of the idea of getting slowly gutted by the King’s words, so that would be last on his list of potential places to search.

After searching every known room Lance knows for a good ten minutes, he nearly gave up hope until he turned a corner and grinned when he saw Shiro talking with Allura. He looked kind of excited, and Allura seemed to be very entertained too. Lance hated the idea of interrupting their conversation, but it’s not like he’d be borrowing Shiro for that long.

Nonetheless, Lance walked up to them, and Allura turned her head slightly and noticed her brother’s approach, “Oh! Lance, hi!”

Shiro blinked for a moment, before looking up and seeing Lance walk to them. He seemed a little disappointed, almost, but he didn’t let it show for long. That was… really weird, but Lance didn’t think much of it when Shiro gave him a small smile.

“Good afternoon, Lance,” Shiro greeted him. “You’ve been alright?”

“Ah, yes, I’m good.” Lance nodded, before turning to Allura, “You mind if I steal Shiro for a second?”

Just like Shiro did, Allura frowned slight before her smiled returned. “Sure, go on ahead. Besides,” Allura dusted off her dress, “Father asked me to help him with something, so I’ll be off myself.”

Allura turned to look up at Shiro and gave him a small smile, “See you at dinner?”

Shiro smiled back, “See you soon, your highness.”

With that, Allura gave a small wave and disappeared down the hallway and turned down one of the halls. Lance was no idiot, and he could see the way Shiro’s smiled and his eyes glowed as Allura turned the corner. Even a man born blind could see what was slowly being unfolded before Lance. Now, was he against it or not was the question.

“So, Allura, huh?” Lance smirked wickedly.

Shiro turned to him with a quirked brow, “What?”

When Shiro went down at look at said girl’s younger brother, he saw the man grinning wickedly like an absolute idiot, his usually beautiful eyes filled with mischief. Lance thought that the situation at hand was hilarious and he was going to tease the living hell out of this man, while Shiro looks like he just sold his soul to the devil himself.

“Lance…” he said cautiously,

“Yes?” Lance looked up at Shiro, blinking innocently.

“You’re being silly” Shiro looked back behind his shoulder, “I know what you’re thinking…”

“What is there to say?” Lance smirked, circling around Shiro suspiciously, “The great, almighty, Shiro, general of the royal guard of the Galran kingdom, is smiling foolishly at my older sister, Allura, the princess of Altea.”

Lance found himself snickering a little when Shiro placed his hand on top of his forehead and dug his fingers into his large strips white fur. From what Lance has seen of Shiro, he was a pretty tough guy. He just gave of that kind of vibe that told you he wasn’t some weakling. Lance has only seen Shiro a few times, but he’s seen how calm minded the Galra was. He always was able to keep a blank, professional expression when around royalty and he never did anything immature or impolite.

However, somehow, in some kind of magical way, Shiro is getting flustered over  _ Allura,  _ of all people!

“I do not like Allura,” he shook his head, “She’s the princess… that would be extremely inappropriate. Even if she wasn’t the princess, she doesn’t necessarily catch my eye.”

“And who does?” Lance asked

Shiro shook his head, “No one,”

“Fine I’ll leave you alone, for now.” Lance let out a chuckle.

“Thanks, your highness, I think…” Shiro smiled slightly, almost nervously.

“No problem. And hey…” Lance smiled happily at Shiro, “Just call me Lance.”

The interaction was very sweet, at least Lance thought it was. For his entire life, Alteans have made it sound like Galras were ruthless monsters who didn’t care about what happens to others as long as they win. Now, that may be the case for some, but Lance was completely against judging people based on stereotypes. Keith wasn’t a bad person, Shiro wasn’t a bad person, so why should they all be?

Lance knows that some people may not believe in what the king or queen believes in, or what someone of another kingdom believes in, but some are still willing to forgive and forget, look past one’s own mistakes or flaws. Shiro didn’t seem to agree with King Zarkon’s opinions, but he’s still willing to serve the people of the kingdom. It was admirable, in some sense.

“But besides that, you said you wanted to talk to me?” Shiro asked.

Lance perked up a bit, almost forgetting why he even came, “Oh, right! Do you think Keith has been… acting a little  _ off _ today?”

“What do you mean?” The Galra blinked at him.

“Keith’s been more on edge than usual.” Lance paused, thinking for a moment, “He got really nervous, almost scared, around me and seems to be all over the place,” he glanced up, “Is he usually like this?”

Shiro didn’t reply for a moment, placing his fingers on his chin to think for a moment, but spoke up eventually, “Keith has a tendency to try and keep himself busy when he’s nervous, anxious, or even angry.” He chuckled a little, “Sometimes he’d nearly kill himself in training when he gets angry about anything.”

“What about the flusteredness and nervous behavior?” Lance asked, “What could that be about?”

“It’s most likely due to having his majesty being here,” Shiro sighed a little, “Keith never had the best relationship with his father, and didn’t get much better when he presented. Having him around must be making Keith more cautious and observant than usual, and maybe he’s even trying to avoid him.”

“You said he keeps himself busy when he gets anxious?” Lance asked. “What does he usually do?”

“Before he presented, he mostly used that energy into training or fighting.” Shiro explained, “It usually helped him take those feelings out on dummies or even other knights. After he was restricted from fighting, Keith usually just looks for other ways to keep himself busy to try and distract himself from the feeling.”

Lance found himself frowning. Was having Zarkon around really that bad for Keith? He knew only a few details of how bad of a relationship the two of them had, being neglected by your father while the other is gone, It would make sense why Keith would feel so anxious and on edge with his father within a close reach, even if he were to only stay for a few days.

“Try not to get too worried,” Shiro assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder, “He’ll be alright after his majesty leaves. He was like that a lot when he was at home, so maybe he’s just gotten used to this freedom here. Just don’t be surprised if he tries to avoid everyone for the next few days.”

“Alright… thank you.” Lance looked away for a moment, still feeling unsure, “He was flustered this morning, but now… I’ve just never seen him like this before, and I thought you might know something. Like this might be normal for him.”

“He should be okay, as long as he doesn’t do anything reckless.” Shiro assured him once again, “I’ll let you know if anything happens. And if you’re really worried, look around and check on him once in a while.”

“Okay,” Lance nodded, “I’ll be off now. Don’t want to waste too much of your time.”

“See you at dinner.”

With that, Lance turned around began to walk down the hallway, not sure where he was going, but he was suddenly stopped when he heard Shiro call out, “Oh! And Lance…!”

Lance looked over his shoulder and saw Shiro smiling softly at him, a genuinely grateful smile on his lips, “Thank you for taking care of him. I haven’t seen Keith this happy in a while.”

“...O-Of course,” and with that, Lance disappeared down the hallway, a large smile plastered on his lips.

-

(7:52pm…)

It was less than ten minutes until eight o’clock, which is when Lance and his family always had dinner, today being no exception. Once again, the young prince found himself wondering the halls of the same castle he grew up in his whole life, but this time it wasn’t a simple walk, and joyful thoughts weren’t the kinds of thoughts that plagued his mind at the moment.

Lance hasn’t seen Keith since he ran into him in the hallway earlier when he was heading off to the library. It was maybe no later than two in the afternoon when that happened, and Lance has yet to even see Keith at the end of the hallway, doing his own thing. He remembered that Shiro said Keith tended to avoid people and try to keep himself busy when he was anxious, but Lance hasn't seen him in hours and was starting to get a little worried.

Of course, the first place Lance checked was the castle’s library. Opening a pair of double doors lead into the place and it was massive. On both ends of the room were stairs that lead to a balcony that overlooks the main floor and had many more books that sat neatly in the built-in bookshelves. Knowing Keith, he has probably taken a liking to all the books there, since it was one of his hobbies before he came here, so he probably went to read or do other work.

When Lance went there maybe no more than a few minutes ago, he didn't see Keith. While the room was large, really only the castle employees or cleaners came into the library. Even if he were come in with the place a little crowded, it’s not like Keith was very hard to spot in a crowd. Lance looked around for a short time, on both the top and bottom section of the library, but he hadn’t seen Keith at all.

Just as Lance was about to leave, he noticed an older women that was putting books back on the shelves. Lance called her Jenna as a nickname for her ridiculously complicated full name. She was fairly short, and often wore loose tunics that blended well with her dark blue-grey hair and pale skin. Jenna was the main librarian here, and her job was to keep track of all the books and made sure the place was clean. Lance has seen Keith briefly talk to her a few times, so perhaps she knew where Keith ran off to?

When he approached, Jenna smiled and bowed a little, “Good evening, your highness. What brings you here? It is almost eight, so should you not be getting ready for dinner?”

“That is actually why I’m here,” Lance said, giving her a worried look, “I’m looking for Keith. I haven’t seen him in hours and dinner is almost ready. He said earlier that he came here to return a book and get some more. Have you seen him recently?”

The older Altean perked up at the mention of Keith, and she nodded, “Oh, yes! You just missed him. The young fella just left a few minutes ago.”

“Which way did he go?” Lance asked.

“Off in the direction of your room,” Jenna explained, “He didn’t look too well, though. I think he may be a little under the weather.” The older women turned back the bookshelf and proceeded to put a few books away as she spoke, “Check up on the young one, will you? I’d hate to see him moving about if he’s unwell.”

“Of course, thank you,” Lance smiled, “I shall see you later.”

As Lance went to leave, Jenna spoke up, “Don’t let him be eating if he’s sick! Make sure he rests!”

“Alright, thank you!” Lance replied as he slipped out.

It’s been only a few minutes, but Lance still hasn’t seen any sign of Keith. He’s checked a few hallways that were nearby their room, just in case he has yet to make it to their room if that was the place he was initially going to. That didn’t help the worried feeling that was already present within Lance. If he was going to their room, then wouldn’t he have been here by now?

Out of options, Lance chose to stand next to their bedroom door and wait for Keith to come to him. He wasn’t really angry that he hasn’t seen Keith all day, but if the librarian was right and Keith really was sick, then he shouldn't be up and about like this. Even if it was anyone else, Lance would want them to rest and get better. However, this was Keith, who Lance cares about and has barely seen him all day. At the very least he wanted to see if the boy was actually sick.

Lance knew that he was doing exactly what Keith hated when he was at the Galra castle: being constantly worried about and pestered, but it was just this once. Besides, when said boy get nervous around you and avoids you all day, whether intentional or not, can make anyone feel a little concerned. 

Lance perked up a bit when he heard the sounds of footsteps, getting louder and closer by the second. They were slow, quiet steps, but someone was going down this hallway nonetheless. He smiled a little bit, hoping it was Keith, but he shook his head and looked over towards the end of the hall the footsteps were coming from.

When the person turned the corner to head down the hall, Lance was expecting Keith, and it was, but his eyes widen when he saw the condition Keith was in. Keith’s hair looked like a mess, which Lance doesn’t understand how it got like that. He gently hugged himself with his arms and he kept his gaze low to the ground. The boy looked even more uneasy and anxious than he did before, but Instead of being tense and aware of his surroundings, he looked more miserable, and even tired despite having a nap earlier the same day.

“Hey, Keith!” Lance called from their bedroom door.

Keith jumped a little at the sudden call, but he didn’t run off. He looked up, looking even more nervous than before, and didn’t move an inch when Lance rushed over to him, looking extremely worried.

“Are you okay?” Lance asked, keeping a safe enough distance away, “You look awful…”

“I-I think you were right… about me not feeling well.” Keith mumbled a little, pressing his fingers gently onto his forehead, “I feel a little... lightheaded… and nauseous...”

“Keith…” Lance moved forward and cautiously moved his arm back and hovered over Keith’s shoulder, as if asking for permission to touch him.  He was surprised to see that Keith nodded let him wrap an arm around his shoulder to help support him, “Let’s get you to bed. You should rest.”

“W-What about dinner?” Keith asked, “Father will get upset if I’m not there…”

“I’ll let everyone know you weren’t feeling well and are resting,” Lance assured him. “I can even bring you some soup if you really want something to eat.”

“Okay…” was all that Keith said.

Lance carefully guided Keith down the rest of the hall and used his free hand to open the door to their room. Once inside, Lance helped Keith onto the bed and the boy sunk into the sheets like it’s the first time he’s ever laid in a bed. Wanting to make sure he was okay, Lance pulled up his desk chair and placed it next to Keith’s side of the bed and sat on it, keeping his gaze on Keith.

Keith’s purple skin looked pale and his face and his shoulders were flushed in red. His multi-colored hair was sleek with sweat and it looked like he hasn’t washed in months. Other than the sudden heat, Lance couldn’t really see anything wrong with Keith. He did say he felt light-headed and nauseous though…

“How long have you felt like this?” Lance asked as he let the back of his hand gently press against Keith’s forehead.

“I did feel a little unwell earlier…” Keith muttered, “I thought it would just go away on it’s own time. While in the library, I got a small headache that, again, thought would go away, but it only got worse and I began to feel lightheaded.”

“Did you do anything that could have made you sick?” Lance asked.

“I don’t know…” Keith sighed, closing his eyes, “I feel hot…”

“Take your vest off, then.” Lance suggested, “Rest in your undershirt. I’ll get you a towel.”

As Lance disappeared into the bedroom’s large bathroom, he saw Keith slowly stand and begin to strip himself of his tunic and pants. Turning towards the counter, Lance grabbed a small towel from a drawer and began to drench it with cold water to help cool Keith down and help with his headache. Once it was nice and cold, he ringed it out and went back into the bedroom.

When he looked over at the bed, Keith was already back down on the bed, his vest, black pants, and shoes laid on the floor next to it. Lance found himself smiling as he sat down in the chair, folded the wet towel, and place it carefully on Keith’s forehead. The smile only grew when he saw Keith smile a little as the cold towel pressed against his forehead.

Seeing Keith feel sick make Lance feel worried, but he was glad Keith let him help and seem more relaxed around him than he was earlier. Lance kept his gaze on him as Keith relaxed into the mattress and small, happy sigh escaping from his lips.

“You need to get to dinner, Lance…” Keith mumbled, looking over at the clock, “It’s already five past six, they’ll get angry if you wait any longer…”

“My top priority right now is you.” Lance simply said, placing his hand on Keith’s farther away arm, “I’ve been late plenty of times. What’s one more?”

“But father and Lotor are here…” Keith replied, “It won’t be like any other dinner.”

“Again, you are my top priority right now.” Lance said, “Knowing how your father is, I think he’d understand.” A pause, “I just want to make sure you’re okay… I’m worried.”

He truly was, and not only about Keith’s condition. He was worried about Keith’s well-being and how he’ll handle having his father around, the man who he claimed ruined his whole life even  _ before _ he presented. If Keith truly was nervous about his father when he ran into him earlier, than it must be much worse for him than Lance thought.

Keith gave Lance a soft smile, and shook his hand off his arm, “I’ll be alright, Lance. Now go on; Father doesn’t like it when people are late.”

“Okay…” Lance nodded to him, “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll even have Hunk make some soup for you.”

“That’d be nice,” Keith smiled at him, “Now go, dummy, before my dad gives you a mouthful of words.”

Lance didn’t want to leave, though. The moment felt almost as wonderful as the time they shared together on the roof. Even if he has only known Keith for such little time, Lance knew he wanted Keith in his life. In the short time they’ve known each other, Lance knew so much about Keith, and he enjoys spending time with the Galra prince. Keith was someone who made Lance smile and he doesn’t think he’ll ever find another friend like him.

Moving back, Lance finally got stood up, but he kept his gaze locked on Keith. The boy gave him one more smile, and Lance gave one in return. Lance always thought Keith’s smile was something rare, something that he rarely showed. Yet somehow, Lance found himself seeing it all the time. 

As Keith’s smile faded and he let his eyes close, the young prince finally made his way to the bedroom door and slipped out of the hallway. At that point, it was already near ten after six. He knew that his father would be furious, especially since we have the King of the Galra, and his oldest son present for dinner. Under normal circumstances, he’d just tell him to watch the time next time, but Lance can’t say what’ll happen if he arrives a whole  _ ten _ minutes late, and with  _ guests _ present.

Not wanting to waste a second, Lance turned down the hall and rushed down it, making his way over to the dining hall. It usually only took him a few minutes to get there, but time was not on Lance’s side in this situation, so he needed to hurry before he got in even worse trouble.

Lance turned down a few more hallways, until he finally reached the hall that had two large doors that lead into the dinning hall. Even from the end of the hall, he could make out most of the current conversation that was being spoken, and oh boy he could already tell the whole talk was about him. Not even his ancestors can save him now.

“It has been ten minutes now,” Lance heard Zarkon said boldly, “Where are those impudent boys? If we were back home, that son of mine would have gotten an earful.”

“That I do not know,” Alfor sighed, “It is fairly common for Lance to arrive a few minutes late, but never this long.”

“Perhaps something happened?” Lotor suggested.

“And what exactly can happen?” Allura asked, “I feel like if something serious happen, someone would have come to relay a message by now.”

“I apologize for being late!” Lance shouted loudly as he rushed into the dining hall.

At the large table where they usually ate when they had guests, everyone turned their gaze to him. Zarkon was glaring into Lance’s soul like he was trying to stab him, meanwhile Lotor, who sat next to the King, look very concerned. Allura appeared relieved that he had finally arrived, but when Lance looked at his father, his angry eyes set him on fire.

“Lance!” Alfor shouted angrily, a large fist curled on the table, “My goodness, boy, what were you doing that took you so long to get here?!”

“What about Keith?” Lotor asked, but he didn’t even sound angry, but more concerned, “Where is he?”

“T-That is why I was late…!” Lance shot his hands up defensively, and then turned to Zarkon, “I apologize for coming so late, your majesty. Keith was feeling unwell, so I felt it be wise that I took care of him before coming here.”

“Keith is sick?” Zarkon simply ask, with almost no kind of feeling in those words.

“Yes,” Lance replied, “He said that he had felt a little unwell this morning and that it got worse as the day went on. When I found him right before dinner, he didn’t look well, so I took him back to our room to take care of him.”

After the explanation was over, Alfor looked relieved that Lance wasn’t late to dinner because of something stupid. Allura looked a little worried, but she seemed glad that Lance and Keith were okay. Lotor, on the other hand, still looked a little worried, most likely for Keith, which Lance thought was very kind of him.

However, Lance’s attention was shifted onto Zarkon, waiting for some kind of reaction from him. The blank, expressionless gaze he gave him was no different than knives piercing through every inch of your skin. Everyone, even Alfor, turned to look at Zarkon to see how he would react to Lance being late due to Keith’s sickness.

Lance flinched and his eyes widen when he heard the man chuckle, and a small formed on his lips. It wasn’t necessarily a happy smile, but more like a smirk, as if he were satisfied with whatever Lance did. His smirked remained as he closed his eyes and moved his gaze down to his hands that were neatly folded in his lap.

“Keith being unable to attend is very unfortunate,” Zarkon looked back at Lance, but then a real, genuine smile formed on his lips, “But I’m glad Keith has such a strong, yet caring Alpha to take care of him. Thank you.”

He didn’t know if he was smiling nervously because he was shocked at Zarkon’s kindness or his specific word choice, but nonetheless, Lance’s smile was awkward and nervous. He’s never seen Zarkon look so… genuinely happy. The King, who always had a scrunched face and a bold voice, was thankful that Lance took care of Keith. The impression Keith gave about Zarkon was all in all correct, but how would he feel when he saw his father happy that Lance took care of him? 

“Y-You’re welcome…” Lance said with a slight shudder in his voice.

“Now, come along, Lance,” Alfor gestured to the chair to his left, which was empty and had a single plate of food in front of it, “Have a seat and let’s eat before your food gets too cold.”

As Lance took his seat next to his father, a young women who worked in the kitchen came over. Lance’s eyes widen a little when she saw the lady picking up a completely filled plate that was next to Lance. It must’ve been Keith’s plate…

Before the women went off, Lance called for her, “Oh, wait! Miss!”

The women flinched slightly and turned around to walk back to Lance, “Is something wrong, your highness?”

“Nothing is wrong,” Lance shook his head, “Could you have Hunk make some soup? Prince Keith is feeling unwell.”

“Oh, dear,” She frowned a little, “I’ll have him work on it right away,”

“Thank you, really, it means a lot,” He smiled at her, “Bring it to me once it is ready, and I’ll give it to him.”

“Of course,” She bowed a little, “I shall be on my way.”

When the maid took off into the kitchen, Lance turned his attention back to his food and began to eat. As usual, the white plates blended in too well with the white fabric of the table, but the bright silverware stood out. Cups were placed to everyone’s right side, everyone’s glasses filled with fine wine, while Lance is still left with iced water for a few more years. The food on their plates was an interesting blend of spices mixed in with steak. They never ate steak that much unless they had guests, like now.

While Lance ate, little did he know, everyone, including Zarkon, was looking at him, all with mixed reactions. Allura was smirking foolishly and Lotor has a soft smile. Alfor’s eyes were wide and mouth slightly dropped, while Zarkon’s just looked at him with a blank expression.

“I can tell you have been taking care of Keith well,” Zarkon said, taking a small sip of his wine, “I was a little worried, to be honest.”

“And why would that be?” Lance asked after he finished chewing his food.

“That boy was always a shy, but hot-headed child,” He sighed a little, “Every time I brought him to some kind of social function, he’d always stay by himself and not talk to anyone. How is he not lonely?”

“You have no idea…” Lance mumbled under his breath.

“It is truly a pity that he never spoke to many people,” Zarkon looked up at Lance, “But he seems happier now that he is here.”

“I guess I did notice he looked brighter than usual,” Lotor replied calmly.

“Exactly.” Zarkon gestured to Lance, “And all because Lance has done a wonderful job of taking care of him and making sure he’s safe. And you guys are even mates yet.” He let out a small laugh.

Lance couldn’t help but chuckle coldly at the irony of this situation. Keith wasn’t happy because Lance took care of him, but rather because he  _ didn’t,  _ at least not in an overprotective way. Of course, the only exception was anything like the situation they were in now, with Keith feeling sick, but he didn’t pester him. He didn’t know much about what happened to Keith’s father, other than he disappeared not long after Keith was born, but Lance had a strong feeling that Zarkon did a lot of what he did to Keith to his own mate.

For as long as time itself has existed, a lot of the kings and Kings of the Galra kingdom have had similar beliefs when it came to Omegas: that they’re weak and completely defenseless without an Alpha to protect them. In every kingdom in the distant past, they were never treated the same way. Over time, more rights were brought to them and are just as equal as anyone else. Of course, some rules stilled applied like not leaving their home when in heat, which was mostly for their own safety, but the Galra never changed their beliefs.

Of course, some of the people, mostly Omegas or the family members of an Omega, didn’t agree with the ruler’s beliefs. Some protested, while others completely left the kingdom and moved to other small villages in other kingdom’s lands. It was usually older citizens that agreed on the ruler’s ideals, or people like Zarkon who were raised in that kind of belief.

Since Zarkon was raised to believe that way about Omegas, it is how he looks at them. If the King was really strict with Keith once he presented, Lance can’t even imagine how bad it must’ve been for Keith’s mother. 

“...I suppose my instincts have told me to take care of him.” Lance said blankly, almost coldly.

“Well, nonetheless, I’m grateful you are,” Zarkon replied before he focused on eating.

Dinner continued smoothly with occasional side conversations popping in. Zarkon and Alfor mostly discussed about how their kingdoms have been, while Lotor and Allura talked in hushed whispers, preferring not to have the entire table hear what they were speaking about. All in all, it was more peaceful than Lance expected. Now he just has to get through four more of these before Zarkon leaves.

As Lance was just about to finish up and excuse himself, he looked up when he saw someone come, as well as everyone else. A grin decorated Lance’s face when he saw it was Hunk. The man was in his usual pure white chef’s uniform. In his large hands was a large sized bowl and a tray being carried on his arms. 

“Oh, Hunk!” Lance cheered as he came over, “Is that the soup?”

Hunk nodded as he set down a large bowl on the table and a wooden tray. “Yup. I didn’t want to use any of the glass bowls since he will be eating in the bed, so I went and got one of our spare plastic bowls so it doesn’t break. The tray is for the bowl to sit on so Keith can eat easier.”

“Bless you, Hunk.” Lance smiles, grabbing the bowl, as well the tray, “Thank you, really.”

“Not a problem, buddy.” Hunk gives Lance a few pats on the back, “Tell Keith I told him to get better soon. Sadly, I still got work, so I’ll see you soon.” He gave a quick, respectful bow to the table before he disappeared into the kitchen once again.

As Lance went to stand and grab the stuff, Allura spoke up, “Need help carrying it? It all looks a little bulky.”

“Don’t worry, I got it,” Lance set the bowl on top of the container before he grabbed the thing itself, “Excuse me,”

After he excused himself, Lance carried everything out of the dining hall and made his way back to the bedroom. While the items were a little hard to balance, it wasn’t really that heavy. Since he was an Alpha, Lance had much for strength than a Beta or Omega, even if it didn’t look like it. Because of this, carrying the stuff felt no different than carrying an inkpen.

If Lance had to be honest, Hunk’s soup was legendary and he couldn’t wait for Keith to try it. It was just ordinary chicken noodle soup, but Hunk has been learning to cook since he was nine and has been a chef for nearly a year now. His father was the current head chef and he took his son under his wing to teach him. Lance can say from experience that they both were beyond exceptional cooks.

When Lance reached the bedroom door, he moved one of his hands to go over and open the door. Once opened, he moved his hand back to carry the bowl once again and used one of his feet to kick the door shut.

The bedroom was fairly dark with nothing but the late afternoon sun that was close to setting lighting up the room. Everything seemed to be in the same place that it was left in, aside from the bed that still had Keith accompanied in it. This time the boy was lying on his side, the warm rag removed from his head, and he was crunched up in a small ball with his eyes closed uncomfortably.

“Keith? Are you okay?” Lance asked as he approached the bed.

“Lance…?” Keith moved his head up to look over his shoulder.

“Is something wrong?” He asked once again, “You don’t look any better…”

Keith sighed, and moved so he could sit up on the bed to the best of his abilities, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” He looked over at the things Lance was carrying, “Is that the soup?”

“Yup!” He grinned, “Prepare to have your taste buds feel lavished!”

A giggle escaped Keith’s lips, followed by a weak smile, “I can’t wait…”

Setting the things down on the nightstand and prepared the food for Keith. He started by setting the tray down on Keith’s lap so that he can eat. He carefully placed the bowl in the little hole that it had, allowing it to carry the bowl without the risk of it spilling. He placed a spoon down next to it and stood back, 

Lance grinned widely as Keith went to grab the spoon, “Eat up, buddy.”

“Thank you…” Keith eyed the bowl for a moment.

Lance eyed Keith’s movements, feeling anticipated, as he waited for Keith to try the soup. Careful not to spill, Keith scooped up a small bit of the soup and brought it to his lips to taste. At first, no reaction came out of Keith, and he just sat there as he brought the spoon down to sit on the tray. Lance grew worried that Keith didn’t like it, or it made him feel sick.

He was surprised when he saw Keith immediately began to take more large and frequent sips of the soup, smiling widely between each bite. Lance found himself giggling at the childish way he ate the soup, much different compared to how he normally ate meals. It must’ve been good then.

Lance let out a laugh when he felt a bit of the soup water splash on his cheeks, “Slow down, Keith or you’ll choke on it!”

“Sorry,” Keith mumbled as he swallowed some more soup, “It’s just… this is fucking amazing. Hunk really made this?!”

“Yup!” Lance grinned, “I know, his food is good.”

“It really is…” Keith found himself smiling.

“But really, slow down and savor it,” Lance smiled softly, “Now look, you got stuff all over your cheek,”

Lance reached forward toward Keith’s cheek. Moving his thumb forward, he used it to wipe of some of the soup water that got on his cheek. As he did, Lance’s movements slowed down, and he felt how Keith’s cheeks began to grow warm, and he stopped moving his thumb all together just so it hovered close to .

As Lance’s gaze moved to make eye contact with Keith, he really got an imagine of how red his cheeks were. He didn’t look particularly flustered, but more relaxed. His violet eyes were heavy and half closed, and his lips were pressed together gently. Keith didn’t seem like the flustered or nervous mess he was earlier…

A quiet gasp had nearly escaped the tan boy’s lips when he felt Keith lean closer Lance’s hand and close his eyes, letting himself relax as his fingers were brushin against Keith’s cheek. Lance’s own cheeks began to turn red and felt himself beginning to bite his bottom lip. 

"Has your hand always been this warm…?” Keith whispered.

“I-I-I guess…?” Lance shuttered. “Now, come on, Keith,” Lance smiled almost awkwardly, trying his best to keep calm and get out of the situation he was in, “Eat up the rest of the soup and get some sleep. You’ll need rest if you want to get better

“Alright…” Keith muttered, and went to pick up the spoon as Lance removed his hand.

Lance was surprised at Keith’s reply. He sounded… almost disappointed. He even noticed how the boy ate more slowly, which could have been because Lance asked him to, but the expression on his face was still much sadder, or even darker than it was before. Why was he so upset? Did Lance say something wrong? Did he really upset him?

“Hey…” Lance reached out and let his fingers brush against Keith’s arm, “Are you okay? I didn’t upset you… did I?”

Keith quickly set his spoon down and looked over at Lance, “N-No… you didn’t.”

“That doesn’t sound like it.” Lance replied.

“It’s not that…” Keith looked away for a second, the pink reappearing on his cheeks.

Lance blinked at him, “Then what is it?” 

The boy didn’t reply for a moment, and Lance noticed how small fists curled against Keith’s lap. Was he really upset because of him? Lance didn’t even know what he did, but whatever it was, it upset Keith and Lance would slay the most ferocious beast if it meant he could make Keith smile again. 

Suddenly, Keith made quick movements in order the place the tray, as well as the soup, on the nightstand as best as he could. Right after, he pointed over to the empty side of the bed, Lance’s side of the bed, and gave said boy a stern and demanding look. Lance himself didn’t even know where this sudden stubbornness was coming from, but he clearly wanted Lance to get back onto his side of the bed.

With a confused blink, Lance slowly moved to the other side of the bed, not breaking eye contact with Keith the whole time. He really had no idea what he wanted, but knowing how he is, Lance went along with it. Perhaps it would make Keith feel better if he did?

As Lance sat up and leaned up against the headboard, he flinched and moved his arms to over his thighs when he felt Keith’s head slam against his lap. The boy seemed much more relaxed and he even nuzzled closer to Lance, while the boy was left sitting there, blinking rapidly at the situation he was in. Keith was… lying on his lap. As long as he didn’t physically panic, he’d be fine… he’ll be fine.

“U-Um… Keith?” Lance muttered, keeping his hands hovered above Keith, because he swears that he won’t be able to control himself if he touches Keith.

“Yeah?” The boy moved his head to look up at Lance.

“What are… w-what are you doing?” His cheeks grew red as he asked.

“What does it look like?” Keith replied, letting himself cuddle closer to Lance.

“I--um… okay?”

Oh boy Lance was in trouble. What was he supposed to do? Is Keith just going to lay there? Was he just expecting Lance to let him rest on his lap? Well, he would, but that still doesn’t make Lance feel like his entire body in on fire. How else would one react if the guy they’re are completely and stupidly in love with just casually invites himself to lay on their lap? How else would one react? What should do? Should he move Keith?

“Aren’t you going to move your arms?” Keith suddenly asked, “That looks… a little uncomfortable.”

“Uh-- yeah, yeah… I will.” Lance nodded.

Slowly and hesitantly, Lance allowed himself to slowly lower his arms, but even he didn’t know where to put them. In some term of events, his right one was placed next to Keith’s head, while the other, because of course it did, wrapped around Keith’s body. Lance didn’t really have any other places he could put his arms considering Keith took over his entire left side, but felt a bit of relief when he heard Keith sigh and cuddle into Lance.

“Happy now?” Lance smirked a little with a chuckle.

“Yes…” was all that Keith said as he let himself relax into Lance’s thigh.

Lance was unsure of what Keith’s intentions were for doing this, and exactly how he was feeling now that they were in this situation, but in that moment, Lance didn’t care. Seeing Keith relaxed after how uneasy and stressed he’s been, made it worth it. As Keith attempted to sleep peacefully in his lap as recovers from his illness, Lance didn’t think much of how anxious Keith has felt. Even through the sickness, Keith was relaxed and at easy, and Lance was glad he could bring that to him.

With a smile, Lance grabbed the same large blanket the two have shared for weeks now and wrapped it around the two of them carefully. As the blanket was gently settled around Keith’s shoulders, he moved his hand to gently hold onto Keith.

As Keith sighed and let himself fully relax under Lance’s touch, Lance moved his head back to press it against the bed’s headboard, and allowed his eyes to softly shut as Keith began to fall into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly can't think of anything to say except that I hope you guys has a nice christmas and new year!  
> -  
> Social media  
> IG: ThoseSpaceGays  
> Art IG: Lxttlecomfey  
> Tumblr: Lxttlecomfey  
> Tellenym: Thosespacegays


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

(August 27th, 10:35am…)

It was now the morning that Zarkon and Lotor were to leave to return back to the Galra castle, while Shiro finally stays to keep an eye on Keith in case anything were to happen. To Keith, he felt happier than a child on Christmas that his father was finally leaving, and not planning on visiting again for a while. He was disappointed that his brother was leaving, but at least Shiro would be there with him.

Having his father in such close range in a place that makes him feel safe makes Keith uneasy. The man put up a lot of expectations onto Keith when it came to him mating with Lance, and he was praying to every known god up there that his father wouldn’t try and interrogate him about it. Then again, knowing exactly what Zarkon is like, despite him not being in a lot of his childhood memories, Keith knew he probably didn’t have much escape from the King’s wrath.

As Keith slipped out of his bed and glanced over his shoulder, he noticed that Lance wasn’t there. The boy frowned a little bit, but shook his head. He had let himself get too close to Lance too much that night, and Keith doesn’t wish to do it again.

Keith knew that anyone would be screaming at him for doing what he’s doing. They’d be saying that Lance feels the same, that he should try something more than just snuggling onto the guy’s lap. Right now, however, Keith was unsure of what to do. Ever since that day, Keith’s feelings has been all over the place, much more than usual. Now, he isn’t even completely sure how to cope with his feelings now that this whole new reality has unfolded before Keith.

He definitely liked Lance; Keith knew that for a fact, but he still doesn’t know what to do or think. Should he just go up and confess? Unless all of what Lance did was a complete and utter lie, than Lance was sure to accept his feelings. Why Keith was hesitating, he wasn’t sure. The only best guess that he had was that he just was still in shock by the fact that his love was returned, and now Keith is unsure of what to do next.

As much as Keith wanted to run into Lance’s arms, he thought it would be best to wait, at least for a little bit. He felt it was necessary to take time and think about a lot of things: Lance, his feelings, this entire situation. Keith was never one to get close to someone very easily, let alone develop a crush on someone. He’s only known Lance less than a month and the Altean stole his heart as fast as lightning.

Keith knew how stupid he was being, completely aware in fact. He knew anyone else in his situation would’ve confessed the moment they had a chance, but Keith isn’t like that. He knew that anything could happen that could change his feelings, change Lance’s, or something may even happen that may affect the whole situation they are in right now, like Alfor or his father canceling it all, which didn’t seem possible at the moment, but Keith didn’t take to take any risks. 

Shaking his head once again, Keith finally stood up and went over to the wardrobe where his, as well as Lance’s, clothes resided in. Since Lance and Keith both had similar clothing, they had to organize the thing so that they’d know which clothes were whose, despite the rather larger size difference.

The wardrobe isn't anything fancy. It stood tall and had two doors that opened it up, a mirror attached to both doors. A single drawer was at the very bottom under the doors, where they mostly kept underwear, socks, and other items of similar style. With the door open, a few shelves were built into it. They mostly just folded their clothing onto both shelves and kept them separated. Lance’s things were on the higher shelves, while Keith’s were on the lower ones.

Since his father and brother were departing today, Keith figured his father was expecting him to wear something nice. Worse came to worse, he could just change into something more casual once they made their leave. With a sigh, Keith grabbed the pieces to one of his formal wear outfits and allowed himself to strip out of his night clothes into the tighter, less comfortable clothing.

As much as Keith hated formal clothes, the outfit worked, and Keith would only be wearing it for an hour, if that, so he’ll survive. The second his father left Keith could throw on something else, maybe even just an simple shirt and sweats, and go about his usual business. Having Zarkon here was making Keith feel like he needed to live up to those high expectations like he had to at home, even if he didn’t give his youngest son the time of day.

Letting out a long sigh, Keith made his way over to the bedroom door. He could do this… it was just a quick goodbye and then Zarkon will be gone. It’s that simple, and then he can finally go back to letting his guard down without the idea of his father nearby, unsatisfied with how he has been acting around here. It would be quick and easy, nothing big.

Before Keith reached the door, a small, but sudden knock came from it. For a moment, nothing else happened, and Keith was left in silence for a few seconds as he questioned who was behind the door. After a second, before Keith could go answer it, a familiar, higher pitched voice came from the door.

“Keith? Are you in there?”

It was Allura, Lance’s sister. Keith wasn’t particularly close to the Altean princess, but the two usually had quick conversations during meals of when they just ran into each other around the castle. Other than that, Keith couldn’t say much about how he felt about the women. She was a very sweet girl, but also knew how to get her point across to anyone. Brave, yet enjoyed the little things life offered was the best way Keith could describe Allura.

Speaking of, why was she knocking on the door? Of course, she could just be making sure Keith was awake since Lance was out of the room, and most likely with his father, but usually one of the maids comes in to check on Keith if he hasn’t woken up yet, so why would Allura personally come just to see if Keith was awake? Was it something else she wanted?

With a small shrug, Keith opened the door and looked down slightly at Allura. The women was wearing her usual white dress with long sleeves and colorful accents of blue and yellow. It was something Keith saw her wearing mostly when he first came and during the times his mother was here. It was most likely one of her formal wears that she owned, similar to the outfit Lance wears but as just a shirt and pants.

Allura had a little bit of makeup on, and her insanely long, white hair was tied back into a lovely braid. She looked beautiful, if it weren’t for the fact that the women was frowning a bit, and had a worried expression that wore like a mask to cover her glowing features. Why did she looked so upset? Perhaps something has happened?

“Allura, is something wrong?” Keith asked.

The princess sighed a little, looking away, “I ran into King Zarkon earlier… he had asked me to get you and to ask you to meet him in his room before he leaves…”

The words sent chills up Keith’s spine and he even found himself shivering a little at the thought. What could his father possibly want? Keith already bent over backwards in order to make sure the kan didn’t suspect anything he didn’t like, so what could he possibly have found out? Both Shiro and Lotor didn’t exactly approve of Zarkon’s strict and high expectations, so he doubt that either of them told him anything that would upset him, so what did he want?

“Did he give a reason why?” Keith asked her.

“N-No, he didn’t,” Allura shook her head with a sigh, “He just said he needed to see you right away, and asked me to tell you if I came across you,” She looked up at him, “Try to be careful. I can tell he is a man that carries power…”

“You have no idea,” he rolled his eyes with a groan.

Allura let out a small chuckle, “I bet. Now, hurry and see him. I doubt he likes to wait, so just try and get it all over with.”

With a quick nod, Keith walked past Allura and proceeds to move down the maze of hallways in order to find the room Zarkon had stayed in. Overtime, Keith has managed to get used to where everything was around the castle from the time he’s been here, so he was able to navigate around the place without much of a problem. There were still some rooms he was unsure of the exact location of, mostly due to not needing to be there, but it was still a better process.

Within a minute or two, Keith made it to the room that Zarkon stayed at. It had a single door with, like the rest of the rooms, had a sign written in Altean language that translated to “Guest bedroom one”. It must’ve been a nice room since his father wouldn’t stand for something bleak, even if he were only staying for a few days. Again, Zarkon had high expectations for a lot of things, including where he slept.

With a long sigh, Keith lifted his fist to gently knock on the door. For a moment, there was no reply other than a bit of shuffling coming from the other side of the door. Keith waited a moment, assuming his father was currently doing something and didn’t want an audience, but again, no reply. Well, if Zarkon really wanted to speak to Keith, couldn’t the man at least answer the door when he finally comes?

Once again, Keith gently knocked on the door, “Father? You asked for me?”

After a second, he heard the powerful, yet lifeless voice that belonged to Zarkon, “Come in.”

With that, Keith opened the bedroom door and let himself in. The room was fairly bright with the early morning sun greeting them by shining directly into the window. Judging from the room’s choice of furniture, this must’ve been a room where important figures rested at. The king sized bed was pressed against the middle of the wall, and the room was huge, much larger than the other guest bedrooms Keith’s seen.

Speaking of, Zarkon was sitting on the bed, the bag with his things completely packed. He wore his usual bukly, almost black armor that seemed to blend with his more grey-purple skin. It had long sleeves that tightly contained his wrists and red and purple accents around it. Despite the nice armor, Zarkon still had a stern look as his son entered the room.

“Keith,” Zarkon simply said, “I’m glad you came,”

“What is it that you want?” Keith asked, trying his best to stay formal, but to get his point across.

“Can a father simply not talk to his son?” Zarkon asked, but it almost sounded forced. He gestured to a space on the bed to his right, “Sit down, boy.”

With a roll of his eyes, Keith obeyed and went over to the bed to sit next his father. Keith really wished that he would just say what he wanted to say and get it over with like she usually does. In the few times Zarkon does this, whatever he wants to ask or just overall wants, it’s serious, and Keith wishes he could just tell him what he wants.

“How have you and Prince Lance been?” Zarkon asked, “I hope you’ve been getting along.”

“You have already asked us this, and I told you, we’re fine.” Keith turned to him, slightly glaring.

“Well, I wanted a real answer and not one you say just to satisfy me.” Said Zarkon.

“I was truthful then, and I was truthful now,” Keith growled slightly, “Lance is a nice guy and has been treating me right. Is that really all you wanted?”

Keith flinched when Zarkon began to wag her finger in his face while making ticking noises, “Tsk, tsk, Keith. You know that a good relationship doesn’t just revolve around whether you get along.”

“And what do you mean by that?” Keith glared at her again.

“I mean, have you been good to Lance?” Zarkon asked, “You know you have to do everything for your Alpha.”

“I do not think that is really necessary…” Keith mumbled.

He immediately regretted saying those words, because Zarkon looked  _ pissed _ . Keith was completely aware of how strong Zarkon believed in his…  _ ideals _ of the rankings. He was raised that way and was completely devoted to that belief, almost like a mind slave that his parents controlled. They made him like a puppet and made Zarkon completely dedicated to that belief, and he failed to pass it on to both of her children.

“I swear, boy, everything I tell you just goes straight through your ears.” Zarkon glares at him, and looked him dead in the eye, “Lance is your protector. Without him, you are completely defenseless. Because of that, you should be thankful that Prince Lance is protecting you, and should do everything for him.” She groans, “I tell you time and time again, but you never seem to get it through that thick skull of yours.”

“And what I suppose to do?” Keith asked, gritting his teeth.

“It’s easy,” Zarkon said, “You simply do everything he says in return for him protecting you. He wants food? Give it to him. He wants a kiss? You give it to him. If he wants a child, you better fucking—”

Keith’s ears began to ring as his father spoke, and he was completely muffled out. Hearing his own father say such… terrible things about what he has to do and say to “please his Alpha”, it felt like he was being shot. He couldn’t understand how this man could still have such beliefs about Omegas when his own  _ son _ was one. Did he really just not care that much…? Is he nothing but some kind of toy to him…?

Keith curled his hands into fists on his lap and gritted his teeth hard. Eyes were shut tightly and his whole body was shaking, trying his best to contain the tears that were threatening to flood out. His shut eyes were like a cracked dam that was seconds away from breaking, all of the water leaking out with nearly no way of stopping it. 

What could he do? His father just kept speaking, not even acknowledging the way his son that sat next to him was shaking violently and was on the verge of tears. Did he even care…? Did he ever care? Is that why this bastard of a father almost never acknowledged Keith his whole like? Haggar and the other maids felt more like a parent to him than this man ever has!

Why the hell does Keith even does what he says? He doesn’t even deserve it. Zarkon neglected his own spm for nearly his whole life and now that Keith is an Omega, he suddenly has the right to drag him around like he’s some kind of ragdoll? Keith wouldn’t even be surprised if that what Zarkon saw all Omegas as, saw Keith as. 

A ragdoll. A  _ thing _ . That is all Keith ever was to that man, and Keith just wasn’t going to let him stomp all over him just because he’s an Alpha.

While Zarkon was still speaking, Keith began to laugh. It was a light one, almost like a chuckle, and the suddence of it made Zarkon stop and stare at the boy. However, Zarkon couldn’t even seen his face since his long bangs covered most of it. Keith was laughing at his stupid speech that he barely even heard, because he honestly doesn’t care anymore. 

Finally, Keith spoke up, but his voice was soft. “Are you really that ignorant, father?” He chuckled.

“Excuse me?” Zarkon scrunched his brows and glared at him, “Do you know who you’re talking to?”

“Wow! You really are an idiot, aren’t you?!” Keith laughed loudly, standing up and turning to face his father, looking down at him, “Is that all Omegas are to you? Is that all  _ I _ am to you?!”

“Keith, what are you--” but he was interrupted once again.

“Geez, don’t you ever shut the  _ fuck _ up?” Keith growled, glaring down at Zarkon, “We are not just your playthings, you know! When the fuck will you open your eyes? You looked at me like I was any other Galra before, and now suddenly that I’m Omega that changed everything?!” He let out another laugh, “God you’re so funny that it actually hurts!”

“Keith that’s not--” Zarkon was at a lost of words, “You know that-- You’re an Omega, Keith. And I thought you’d be smart enough to know that you’re completely different now than you were before.”

“Cut the bullshit!” Keith shouted once again, “Omegas are not just  _ things _ ! I’m not any different because of one little thing I can’t control! I’m still me! Omegas are living, breathing creatures that are no different than you are! You have no right to boss me around!”

“Keith--!” 

“ _ I am not done talking _ !” Keith hissed, and smirked a little when his father’s eyes widen and she looked so scared, “See? Look at you… this is exactly how I’ve had to live since I presented. Scared, lonely… helpless. And it wasn’t much better before then. How does it feel, father?”

Zarkon didn’t speak for a moment, but he shook her head and stood up, glaring down at her son, “I am your father, the king, and you will listen to me. Not only that, I’m an Alpha, you’re superior. You have to listen to my every word, as an Alpha and as your father.”

“You? My father?” Keith laughed, “Are you  _ kidding _ me? You never were my damn father!” Finally, the dam had been broken and tears began to fall down Keith’s eyes, “You were never there for me… and mother wasn’t there either…” 

“You better listen to me now, boy,” Zarkon grabbed a fistful of Keith’s shirt and pulled him close, “You are an Omega! A weakling! A fragile being! Do you really think you have any power over me? An Alpha, and the king of the Galra? I could easily have you, or any Omega, down on their knees! You are nothing compared to me! I’m your father so you better do as I say!”

But her words didn’t matter. Keith was furious, depressed, confused… he didn’t care anymore, “You have no right to call yourself my father, you fucking bastard! You were never there for me before… and you never will be now!”

That was enough to put Zarkon in a shock. The man just stood there, eyes wide, feeling dumbfounded, shocked but mostly… scared, at the situation he was in. He gently let go of his shirt to just stared at his son, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, wanting to say something, but words were at a loss. All Zarkon did was stare at his son that was crying his eyes out right in front of him.

Not wanting to spend another second with this man, Keith turned around and rushed out the door. He heard the calls of Zarkon, asking that he stop amd come back, but Keith didn’t care, he didn’t care about anyone anymore. Rushing off to his room, he grief his best to get there before anyone saw the flood of tears that shredded down his eyes and lightly stain the carpets of the grand halls.

-

(11:06am…)

Lance began to pace in a quick circle as he waited in the throne room for Keith and Allura to arrive. They, as well as Lance; Alfor; and Coran, were suppose to wake up earlier and meet in the throne to be present for King Zarkon and Prince Lotor’s departure. Lance had been here for over half an hour now, and the boy began to panic about what could be going on to have both of them not present yet.

Originally when he had gotten up that morning, Lance was going to wake Keith up. However, when Lance turned to shake Keith awake, he saw how peacefully Keith slept. Again and again, Lance told himself to wake Keith up, but empathy got the better of him, as it always does, and Lance let Keith sleep and figured that he’d wake up on his own, or one of the maids would wake him up when he wasn’t awake any time soon.

Letting Keith rest, Lance just threw on his usual white suit with tight pants and rushed out the door to meet his father. He was unsure if Keith would wake up, but at the time, Lance was more worried about meeting his father.

It was one thing if Keith was late, but what about Allura? She knew better than to be late for something like this. Of course, Keith did too, but Allura knew how important this alliance with the Galra could be, and showing up late could affect this if King Zarkon took Allura being late as any kind of offense. He most likely wouldn’t mind if Keith were late, but Altea’s own princess being late? Even if it was just a quick goodbye to the King and prince, Lance learned that Zarkon takes  _ everything _ seriously, even something as unimportant as being late.

“Lance, will you stop pacing around like that?” Alfor blinked down at his son, who was a few feet away from his left.

“My, what is the matter?” Coran asked from the king’s right side. “You’re shivering like a newborn yelmore over there.”

“Allura and Keith should’ve been here by now…” Lance mumbled, keeping his feet at work as he circled around.

“King Zarkon, nor Prince Lotor, are here yet,” Alfor pointed out, “They will be alright.”

“Yeah but--” 

“Relax, Lance,” Coran placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “They’ll be here. You know Allura is never late and I’m can tell that Keith is the same way. Let those fears of yours fly away like a flock of birds during migration season.”

“At least Keith arrives to dinner on time,” Alfor chuckled, using the back of his hand to hid his smile.

“I’m sometimes late by a few minutes!” Lance rolled his eyes.

“Sometimes even being a few minutes late could affect a meeting,” Coran nodded. “I doubt it,” The boy grumbled under his breath.

“Rest easy, son.” Alfor smiled down at Lance, “They’ll be here.”

Letting out a defeated sigh, he stopped pacing around and Lance moved to stand next to his father, his arms still crossed over his chest. He knew how hypocritical he was being, especially since it isn’t uncommon for him to be late to things, but those are mostly unimportant matters, and he’s usually only late by a few minutes. Being late to dinner the first day Zarkon and Lotor came was because of Keith was sick, and Zarkon was actually thankful that Lance took care of him!

Lance shook his head and grunted a bit. It was alright; both Keith and Allura still had some time, so what could possibly happen? Unless someone in the castle ended up being an assassin and ended up killing Allura and Keith, than they should be alright. Plus, Allura has to deal with awkward, puffy dresses and makeup, so she got a pass on that.

Speaking of Allura, Lance’s pointy ear flicked slightly when he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the door. The steps were getting louder by the second, and when Lance heard the soft humming, he knew it was Allura. When the guard at the door heard the steps, he gratefully opened the large door and allowed the princess to gracefully make her entrance into the throne room.

Allura’s dress matched Lance’s outfit perfectly. It was same dresses that they usually wore for business casual events like this one. While the top and the shoulder cape were a nice shade of blue with a bit of white, the skirt of the dress was white with a lighter stripe down the middle and the top had a few golden accents on it. Lance’s outfit had the same style and color, but it was rather just a shirt and black pants with knee high white boots.

“Allura, you’re here,” Alfor smiled as his daughter walked over, but frowned a little when she took her place next to Lance, “Where is Keith?”

“Yeah, I thought you’d be arriving together.” Lance frowned too, a little worried, “Is he okay?”

“Don’t worry, Lance,” Allura smiled at them, but quickly turned into a frown, “Zarkon wanted to speak with Keith privately before he left…”

“Zarkon…” Lance trailed away, and looked down at the floor with an unsure expression. Even if Zarkon has only been here for a short time, and hasn’t done anything really offensive, Lance could get an idea of how Keith’s life must’ve been just by the small hints he’s given him. The way Zarkon spoke about how Keith was happy because Lance was “protecting him” and “taking care of him” make Lance shiver and he could tell Keith had it rough.

Speaking of, Lance wondered why Zarkon wanted to speak with Keith. If Lance knew any better, he guess that the King wanted to make sure Keith was “behaving well”. That Galra held high standards, especially when it came to Omegas, so he probably had some kind of expectations that he had for Keith. While Lance was worried, he knew better than to try and interfere with it and kept still.

As they, once again, awaited for Keith, Lotor, and Zarkon to arrive and proceed to make their departure, while leaving Shiro behind. If Lance had be honest, he was glad that Shiro was now officially staying like he was meant to in the first place. While he and Keith have gotten pretty close, Lance though it would be nice for Keith to have an old friend around the castle from now on, someone here to make it truly feel like home. 

Lance had always been worried about whether Keith or not was truly happy here. He has appeared better now, surely much happier, but he could always be faking it around other people. Lance could tell that Keith definitely faked a lot of things when it came to Zarkon. Whenever he addressed him or asked him any questions, the boy would give vague responses, or one that weren’t even completely true, just to satisfy his father’s wishes.

It was a little sad, Lance thought, that Keith had to do such things around his father and had a bad relationship with him. Lance knew that his mother disappeared after his birth, and having a bad relationship with the remaining parent must’ve been a living hell for Keith. He could relate to not having one of his parents in life, but even Lance’s relationship with his father wasn’t as bad as Keith’s is with Zarkon.

He just hoped that Keith would be okay, or that Zarkon wouldn’t say anything that would hurt him. What is the worse that the Galra could possibly say or do? From what Lance has seen, Keith is a pretty tough Omega and can handle his emotions much better than most can. As Lance remembers Lotor saying, he said that it is hard for Keith to talk about personal issues with people unless he is close or comfortable around them. 

Letting out another sigh, Lance adjusted his posture, and awaited for Zarkon and Lotor when they’re ready for departure. Lance figured that Zarkon may take longer to arrive due to his… private conversation he oh so desperately needed to have before he left, even though the Galra had many opportunities to talk to his youngest son in the last two days.

Despite trying to distract himself, Lance still found himself feeling worried about what Zarkon wanted to say to Keith. Hell, the man barely even spoke to his youngest son during the days she was here. Not only that, but he didn’t even go with Keith when he was first being escorted to the Alteam castle! They sent Shiro with him! Does he have any shame in her actions?

Speaking of, Lance nearly tripped over his own feet when he heard the sounds of doors opening, and loud boots clicking against the hard, glossy floor of the throne room, accompanied by another pair of feet clicking out of sync with them. Lance will say it as many times as he needs to in order to remind himself that the King knew how to make an entrance that attracts all those in the room.

Looking up, Lance saw the man herself, King Zarkon, with his son Lotor and Shiro walking next to her as they approached them. Like theirs, the clothes all three of them wore were business casual and wasn’t anything too flashy like what they wore when they first arrived. Even Shiro had abandoned his flashy knight armor for a tight fitting jacket and pants, ones that are similarly worn by royal guards. 

However, that wasn’t what Lance was focused on. The boy only grew more worried when he realized that Keith wasn’t with them. That didn’t make any sense… if Keith had gone to talk to his father, than wouldn’t he have arrived with Zarkon, or at the very least arrive before him? Lance tried to check if Keith was maybe behind them, or even trailing behind a little, but his face only grew more concerned when Keith didn’t appear by the time they came face to face with the group of Galra.

“King Zarkon, Prince Lotor,” Alfor nodded to them both respectively, “It is a shame to see you both depart, but I hope that your short stay here has been a great one.”

“Indeed,” Zarkon nodded, “Thank you for the opportunity to stay here, even if it was just mostly for simple meetings.”

“Where is Keith?” Asked Lance suddenly without even a second thought.

Zarkon paused for a moment, and Lance was sure that he looked upset or even disturbed, but the face quickly disappeared as soon as it appeared. His face became blank, expressionless, as if he was doing everything in his power to make sure that no one would be able to read his emotions. It was mostly blank, but her eyes glittered an emotion that almost represented  _ fear _ .

Zarkon shook his head and turned her gaze to Lance, “Is it so necessary for him to be here? We are just leaving. It is not anything majorly important.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Lance glared at him slightly, “Where is Keith?”

“My, aren’t you persistent,” the King chucked a little, “He’s fine, dear. Just tired.”

“Was he really that tired that he had to miss this?” Lance struck back, glaring harder, “Especially considering he woke up after I did?”

“Lance.” Alfor scolded him, giving him a slight glare, “That’s enough.”

Lance scoffed and looked away as Allura gave him a concerned look. She herself had told Keith that his father wanted to meet with him, so he obviously was awake and there was no way he was “tired”. Hell, Lance knew for a fact that Keith usually woke up before him and sometimes earlier by hours! There is no way Keith was just tired. Zarkon must’ve been lying or trying to cover his own tracks, but why? And where  _ was _ Keith?

“Anyway,” Zarkon turned back to Alfor, “I hope that the future brings you good--”

Once again, Zarkon has been interrupted, but not by Lance, in fact, not by anyone in the room. Actually, it was someone’s sudden entrance  _ into _ the room. The guards, who were at the doors, were shocked at the appearance of a small, and familiar young Altean they came rushing into the throne room and towards the small group without much thought or idea in mind.

When Lance glanced up at the intruder, he moved his head up at stare at them, and a bright grin decorated his face. The sudden visitor was, in fact, Pidge. She was, of course, on duty today, and should be off cleaning… whatever she cleans… so what is she doing here? Like her, and the other workers here, they knew better than to disrupt King Alfor during important meetings, especially ones related to other kingdoms, so what happened?

The young women appeared in front of Lance and bent down a little with her hands on her thighs, light pants escaping from her lips. Pidge may be a force to be reckoned with, but she was still small and not the most athletic one out there. She wore a generic, and simple dress with short sleeves and a skirt that reached her knees. Pidge hated dresses, and prefered to wear tunics or other clothing, but it was the clothes she was required to wear during work.

“Ah, young Pidge,” Alfor turned to her, “Is something the matter?”

“My, what a rude little child,” Zarkon nearly growled, “Don’t you know any better than to interrupt someone when they’re speaking?”

Pidge flinched at the King’s sudden scolding, and turned to the Galra and bowed a little. She may be one to talk back to friends, but she knew better than to to that towards any kind of authority, “I am so sorry for interrupt this, but,” she moved back up and turned to Lance once again, “Lance, I just saw Keith in the halls running off and crying his eyes out!”

Lance’s eyes widen and brows raised up, but a small fist curled in his left hand. He knew it… Zarkon must’ve said or done something to upset Keith. It must’ve been really bad if it meant Keith ran away crying, especially when he was suppose to come here to see his father and brother leave… what the fuck did that horrendous man say it him…?

“Crying…” Lance growled lightly, and then angrily turn to Zarkon, “I wonder why  _ that _ would be.”

“Father,” Even Lotor got into it, looking concerned, “What exactly did you say to him?” 

“I do not know what you mean,” Zarkon closed his eyes, before holding his head up high before opening them again.

“Don’t play dumb.” Lance nearly shouted, “You obviously said something to him! Why the hell would Keith run off crying  _ right after _ he talked to you?”

“That boy is the one overreacting,” The man shook her head, “All I did was give him a little…  _ reminder _ .”

“And what did you  _ remind him _ ?” Asked Lance, clenching his teeth.

“The little fella forget what his purpose is now,” Zarkon glared at him, “I just reminded him of his duty here and the boy began to shout and ran off crying out a waterfall.”

Lance couldn’t even hold back his anger. Keith’s purpose? His duty here? Oh the prince knew exactly what this man told his son. Was the Galra King really that narrow minded and naive? He was talking like he was someone from centuries ago! Did this man have no respect for his own damn child?! Lance didn’t even care anymore if he offended the King or put the Altean kingdom into centuries of war. The words left his mouth like it was nothing and he’d be willing to fight this brat for generations.

“Are you that stupid?!” Lance shouted, two large fists curled in his hands and his eye stabbing into Zarkon.

“Excuse me?” Zarkon turned back to the boy.

“Lance, don’t--!” Alfor tried to stop it, but it was inevitable.

“Do not interfere, father!” Lance hissed, “This is between  _ me _ and  _ him _ .”

Alfor flinched at his son’s sudden words and was defenseless as his son slowly approached the King of the Galra, the King of a race they were at war with. Anything they said that anyone found offensive enough could cost them peace and put them through many more decades of war with them. At that moment, Lance didn’t care. Zarkon—this little bitch—was not going to insult to Lance’s love and his own son and get away with it.

“Do you have no respect?” Lance slowly moved towards Zarkon, “Keith is your own damn son! And you would just go around saying those kind of things to his face?!”

“You don’t even know what I told him,” Zarkon hissed back, keeping still but his patience slowly leaving him, “That is so rude of you to scold me about what I told my son when you don’t even know what I told him.”

“Oh, I know  _ exactly _ what you told him,” said Lance, his voice low and harsh, “His purpose? His duty here? You told him exactly what you saw Omegas as… and that’s just  _ things, objects _ .”

“And you’re concerned because…?” Zarkon asked, “I do not believe it is any of your business how I raise my son.”

Lance couldn’t contain it, so he let out a chuckle, “ _ You _ ? Raised Keith? Are you so narrow-minded that you don’t even realize that Keith  _ hates _ you?! That he doesn’t even see you as his father?!” Lance began to move closer, getting more into Zarkon’s face, “Or do you just close off anyone that doesn’t do exactly what you want? Like how you closed Keith off his whole life?”

“Your highness-- Lance,” Shiro moved forward, placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder, “Please, you need to calm down.”

“Oh  _ please _ , Shiro!” The prince whipped around to face the Galra, “You know just as well as I do how horrible Keith’s life as been because of this man!”

“Y-You’re not wrong,” Shiro tried to assure him, “But--”

“I’m not!” Lance growled, gesturing towards Zarkon, “I don’t understand how Keith lived with him! For his entire life, this man has made his life a living hell! You neglecting him for his whole childhood and treated him like shit this whole time!”

“Don’t–” Zarkon moved towards Lance, but Lotor interrupted them.

“You both need to calm down,” Lotor moved to Lance and placed both hands on his shoulders, “I understand, you are upset with how my father has treated Keith, but you need to stop.” The boy than turned back to Zarkon, “You too, father. If you truly wish to end this war, than both of you need to calm down and quit acting like children.”

Lance growled lightly, looking away and down at the floor. He… he knew that Lotor was right. Hell, Lance wouldn’t be surprised if Zarkon felt so offended that he would cancel the arrangement. Zarkon, too, had closed his mouth and he put relief on his brows and showed a more unsure or concerned look. The two of them glanced at each other for a moment, before Lance and Zarkon turned their gazes away from each other once again.

As much as Lance wanted to give Zarkon another piece of his mind, something else plagued his thoughts. That something was Keith. Lance frowned at the thought, and he can even begin to imagine how destroyed Keith must feel right now… how alone he feels. Lance could care less about watching Zarkon leave. Right now, Keith must feel so distressed and Lance wants nothing more than to find him and let him know everything's okay…

“I-I’m so sorry about my son, your majesty,” Alfor came forward, and slightly reached his hand out, “Are you alright?”

“Yes… I’m fine…” The King whispered, not letting his voice go any higher.

After checking on the King, King Alfor turned to Lance, his bright blue eyes glaring into him, “What were you thinking, boy?! Do you wish for this war to continue?!”

“I’d be willing to fight for generations if it meant I could show Zarkon exactly how much I hate him,” Lance’s voice was so low that only his father could hear him speak.

“I understand, you’re upset,” Alfor sighed, placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder, “But if you are going to be king, than you need to have better control over your emotions. You most likely costed us the entire peace treaty because of that!”

“Now, don’t overreact, King Alfor,” they both looked up when Zarkon spoke up from a safe distance, “It’s quite alright, really…”

“Are you sure?” Asked Alfor, “He—”

“It’s  _ fine _ , Alfor,” Zarkon said once again, this time more stern and with a more worried look.

After that reassurance, Alfor turned to Lance with an angry expression coloring his face, “You are lucky that the King took pity on you. I don’t want to see you doing anything like that again.”

Lance scoffed once again and looked away. In the background, Shiro and Lotor gave each other a concerned look. They both knew he could have handled that situation in a better matter than the way he chose. Alfor was right; in normal cases, Zarkon would’ve spent decades of war with someone if something like that happened, so what made her change her mind?

Then again, it didn’t matter to Lance. The only thing on his mind was  _ Keith _ . He needed to find him, needed to make sure he was okay… Zarkon seemed fine with Lance saying all those things to him, so it’s not like he’d care if Lance went to check up on Keith. Besides, they both wanted them to mate and get along. It’s what they wanted, right?

“Whatever,” Lance sighed, “Now, if not too rude, I wish to go check up on Keith.” Without even waiting for approval, Lance turned towards the door closest to their room and began to quickly jog towards it.

Alfor’s brows furrowed and his voice boomed in the room, “Lance, get back–”

“Let him go,” Said Zarkon, keeping her gaze down onto the floor.

“But, King Zarkon, he–” Once again, Alfor was interrupted.

“All we are doing is leaving,” Zarkon turned back to the Altean, “Besides, he has more important matters to attend to at the moment.”

Alfor appeared to want to fight back, but he blinked at her and allowed his son so leave. Lance was… shocked to say the least. Zarkon, the one that caused his son to run off crying, is letting Lance go comfort him? It was… odd, really unusual. Was he actually concerned about Keith and feels bad for making him upset? In the end, Lance didn’t think much of it, other than giving Zarkon a respectful nod.

Zarkon noticed Lance’s quick thanks, and didn’t say or do anything as the boy who called him out ran down the halls like an absolute idiot in order to comfort his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao y'all gonna cry next chapter  
> -  
> Anyways,,  
> I update every other week on fridays  
> -  
> Social media:  
> IG: Thosespacegays  
> Tumblr: lxttlecomfey  
> Telloynm: Thosespacegays


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter early again because I know I'll forget
> 
> Also small note:  
> Ive answered this a handful of times, but the reason that some phrases refer to Zarkon as "she" or Keith's "mother" is because Krolia was originally going to be the queen. It was around this point in writing that I changed it, so you shouldn't run into the typos anymore. Any mistakes from previous chapters were typos I didn't catch when editing, and I'm sorry for that ^^;
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

(August 27th, 11:37am…)

As soon as Keith entered the bedroom, he slammed the door shut and ran off into the room, collapsing on the floor next to the bed that was facing away from the window. The tears that had began to flood out of his eyes in the guest bedroom continued to fall and began to faintly stain the floor, one by one. At the time, Keith didn’t care and his emotions were a complete mess.

He felt scares, helpless even, in the situation he was in. Keith just wanted to get out of here… run away from the mess he called his life. He could hardly think clearly in this moment, but he could think just enough to find some things that would calm him down. Being outside of his bedroom back in the galra kingdom left only few options, but also gave him new ones.

Nearly crawling across the room, Keith moved the bag that he had all his clothes in not even a month ago. It didn’t take him long before he found his hippo plush, holding it tightly in his arms like he was a child once again. He always did this, and it always brought him comfort, but even now he it wasn’t much help. He tried to stay calm, tightly holding the plush like his life depended on it, but nothing.

He tried to think of something else that would calm him down, but had nothing available. This old plush was the only thing he had… or did he. As he frantically looked around the room, a phrase echoed in his mind. He didn’t know how or why he was reminded of it, but he was. And the thought gave him a spark of hope.

_ But that’s not the point. The point is that… I hope this place can be a source of comfort for you here whenever you feel upset or stressed, as it has been for me for all these years… _

_ Are you sure? _

_ Positive. This can be our spot. We can come here to talk about shit and bitch about this entire thing Alright? _

Their spot… the rooftop. The room they went in to enter from wasn’t that far from here. If he was quick, he could get there without causing a scene of having anyone follow. It was right down the hall and it would take two seconds to do.

Throwing caution at the wind, Keith took off. Teas continued to flow out of his eyes as his breaths only became more shirt and frantic. He nearly tripped over his feet when he entered the room, not wasting a second as he ran out on the balcony and threw his arms up to pull himself up onto the roof. It hurt, and it was hard to do without help, but he managed to get on the roof and run to the exact spot he was at last time.

Curling himself into the smallest ball possible, Keith buried his face into his thighs and let the tears stain his pants and plush without another thought in mind. He carefully wrapped his arms around his legs and allowed the soft cries he held down finally escape. He didn’t have anyone to hold him now… so he was his only comfort.

Keith thought—or rather knew—that he was overreacting, that he should know better than to let his strong walls of emotions break over someone else’s words. He has been criticized a lot in his life, mostly by soldiers during his training, and not once did he ever get this upset. If anything, he let the harsh words or criticism make him stronger. Yet somehow, the words his father said broke those wall down with no effort…

His words… even just thinking about them made more tears replace the ones that just fell. It made Keith shake even more… feeling afraid because of the revolting words that his father used to describe his role. Keith felt horrible... disgusted… do those words describe what Zarkon thinks of him? Or even sees him as? Is that all he is: a little slut that has to obey an Alpha’s ever word? Is that his purpose?

Keith bit his bottom lip hard as he tried to keep calm, but every attempt was a complete fail. Each time he thought he calmed his tears, more came and soft cries escaped his mouth without even a second thought in mind. He tried to tell himself to calm down, that he needed to hurry to the throne room to see his father and brother leave… but the thought of seeing that vile man kept Keith from moving and he continued to cry out with no one to hear him.

In that moment, as Keith held himself tightly, he only thought of one thing. In most cases, in a moment of fear or weakness, people want their family with them, or someone they considered family, like their mother or father. His father… he caused this. Keith’s mother? The boy doesn’t even know her face, nor did he ever learn her name. That was a comfort that only Lotor was blessed with in life.

No, right now, as he let all of his weaknesses be exposed to the harsh world, all that was on his mind was  _ Lance _ . Lance… a boy Keith hasn’t even know for a whole month yet. Lance… the Altean who managed to steal Keith’s heart and proceed to make him fall deeper in love with him every second of the day. Lance… someone who’s always been there for him, even if he really wasn’t there with him.

Lance… who cares for Keith just as much as he cares about him…

Keith wanted no one but Lance right now. If anyone else besides that boy came into the room to try and comfort him, Keith would push them away, like he always has and still does now. While Keith built walls around him his whole life, Shiro managed to crack it. Meanwhile, Lance climbed straight over it and was able to cause those walls to collapse just by the sound of his voice, but only Lance had the luxury to see those broken walls, those exposed scars.

Only so many people have come into Keith’s life. Shiro… Lotor… so many have tried to get pasted the strong walls Keith built around him, hiding all the scars, turmoil, the shame… sometimes they manage to get a sneak peak of what was hiding in there, but it was always sealed off. But Lance… he saw so much. The scars he held, his few moments of pain…

Keith wanted Lance. In that very moment, where all the fear and shame have flooded the tight space and caused the wall to crack and collapse, Keith wanted no one but Lance to see them.

Sadly, in all reality, Keith was alone. That was something he found himself feeling all the time, and something that the people around him always made Keith feel that way. His father, for neglecting him for most of his life. His mother, for raising Lotor, but abandoning Keith the moment he was born. Even Lotor, who tried to pull out of the tight lease Zarkon had on him, made Keith feel alone.

Right now, Keith felt so defenseless right now that all he could do was blame others, that it was someone else’s fault that it ended up this way. However, it wasn’t. It was all Keith’s fault. He cause this… he caused his own pain. Even if it wasn’t true, all Keith knew what to do right now was blame himself.

And those voices. Those voices in his head began to speak… telling him something he knew all too well.

_ It’s your fault you’re so weak... _

_ If you had the guts to stand up to your mother, this wouldn’t have happend… _

_ You wouldn’t be sitting here right now if you weren’t such a coward! _

_ You’re a joke! A mistake! You have no reason for being here! _

“S-Stop…” Keith muttered softly, hugging himself tighter, “I-I have a p-purpose here…”

However, even with his begs, the voices… voices that belonged to him, and everyone he loves… they only kept going. All Keith could do was cover his ears, but it only seemed to get louder.

_ Are you kidding me?  _ The voice sounded like Shiro,  _ You really think begging is going to get you anywhere? Geez, and I thought you had potential. _

The next one belonged to Lotor,  _ You’re sitting here crying like a baby? Are you so weak that you can’t even stand up for yourself? _

Allura…  _ Why did father even agree to bring you here? You’re so pathetic!  _

Alfor…  _ I can’t even believe this was the best that King could offer. Even some damn money would’ve been better than this. _

Keith’s eyes widen when the next voice rang in his ears. The other gave him bruises and permanent scars… but this… Keith began to shake violently and bit his lip until he left a mark. Nail marks had began to be left on his arms as he held himself tightly, trying his best to ignore the voices ringing in his ears… but they kept getting louder. And there was on in particular that was screaming out to him.

The voice… it belonged to Lance.

_ Me? Love you? Are you kidding me? Who would ever love a disgusting, weak little half-breed like you…? You’re a joke… a disgrace! _

“S-Stop it…” Keith whispered, “Y-Y-You’re not real…”

_ Not real? God, you’re even more pathetic than I thought _

“N-No…” he whimpered, shaking hard against the floor.

_ Why don’t you just leave? It’s not like Alfor, or Allura would care, or even notice you’re gone. And it’s not like I care-- _

_ “ _ No! Stop!”

He wasn’t real… Keith just had to remember that. He wasn’t real… they weren’t real… but it was hard, hearing Lance say those things, when he’s been nothing but sweet to him. He’d be fine… he’ll be fine. Or so he thought. He kept telling himself this, and yet each word felt like a stab in the gut.

He wanted Lance… the real Lance…

-

“Keith!” Lance could feel his throat ache as he called out to Keith in their bedroom. He didn’t understand why he had such a desperate need to find him. He definitely was worried about Keith… but now he felt like so scared. He just wanted to find him, make sure he’s okay… whee was he?!

“Keith!” Lance cried, quickly looking around the room, “Keith,  _ please _ ! Are you in here?!”

No response… Lance lifted his nose and smelt the air. Keith’s scent stunk up the place, and it was very fresh too. He was in here, recently, make a good five minutes ago. He couldn’t have gone far… but where would he go? Lance followed the scent around the room for a moment, only to find that it ked back out of the room and down the hallway into a room at the end.

Running off, Lance quickly followed the scent into a nearby room. He quickly recognized the area they were in. He first took Keith here to… Lance almost slapped himself in the face for not thinking about it sooner. The rooftop! Their special spot, of course he would be there!

Not wasting another second, Lance found himself quickly running out to the balcony and climbing up to the roof, not a single worry about falling ever crossing his mind. When he stood up and reached the top, he saw him… and Lance’s heart broke at the sight of Keith, who was hugging himself and whimpering words to himself that Keith couldn’t understand. All Lance wanted to was comfort him.

Without wasting any more time, he called out to him. “Keith!”

-

The boy jumped a little and his eyes widen when he heard the sound of a distant voice that he had just heard a second ago. However, this time, the voice, Lance’s voice, was filled with worry and concern, but it was still as loud as he had heard it before. 

Lance… he… he came looking for him. He came searching for Keith… Lance was worried, maybe even scared. Why? Why did he even come? Did Lance truly care about Keith? He wanted to believe so, even if the voices kept telling him it was a lie. Keith knew Lance cared about him… and yet somehow that information caused the boy to let out another soft sob against his thighs.

Keith didn’t look up, but he heard the footsteps as they approached the boy crouched down on the floor and stare down at him. A light gasped filled the empty space of the room, but quietness quickly returned without a moment’s notice. Keith wanted to keep his face buried in his thighs, but he knew that he had to look up eventually, had to reveal the pathetic state he is in to the last person he’d want to see him.

Moving his head up slightly, Keith revealed to Lance the pathetic state he was in. Keith’s eyes were red from all the crying, yet tears still flooded down his cheeks like the water in a river flowing into the ocean. The boy was shaking like a baby animal in the cold and he kept whimpering softly like a baby who had yet to learn their first words.

“L-Lance…” Keith whispered softly, his voice shuttering.

“Oh, Keith,” Lance crouched down onto his knees, sitting on his legs and heels. As much as Lance wanted to hold Keith in his arms and calm him down, he knew that in this state, Keith was extremely fragile and could only get worse if Lance does things like that without thinking.

“Are you okay…?” Lance asked carefully, slowly reaching out to Keith, “Keith… what happened? Why are you crying?”

“L-Lance… I-I…” Keith was at a lost of words, unsure what to say, “I-I don’t… h-h-he…”

“It’s okay,” Lance assured him, “You don’t have to say anything… it’s okay…” The boy gently moved his head to gesture to his reached out hand, “May I…?”

Keith looked over at Lance’s hand. There was nothing he wanted more than to be in Lance’s arms, so he nodded carefully and allowed him to move. With a small smile, Lance moved his hand to grasp Keith’s shoulder and slowly moved in forward, as if asking for permission to hold him. When Keith didn’t pull back, Lance pulled him into his arms and allowed the boy to relax into his touch.

“I-I-I… I can’t stop c-crying…” Keith whispered into Lance’s chest, “I-I don’t know… I d-don't know w-what to d-do…”

“Shh, it’s alright… its okay.” Lance cooed softly, “You don’t have to say anything. Just relax…”

Keith continued to let the tears fall and stain Lance’s shirt, who didn’t even seem to mind as the boy in his arms whimpered softly in his arms. Gently cupping his head, Lance kept cooing and reassuring Keith in soft whispered and gentle rocking. Being in his arms made Keith relax and he slowly began to calm down.

The boy has had his fair share of moments he’s cried in front of Lance. It was only a few times, since Keith has mostly been able to keep his emotions under control, but everytime he cried, or he just needed to talk, Lance was always there. Whether the Altean held Keith in his arms, or just listened to Keith rant about… whatever he needed to get out, Lance was always there to listen… he always has.

And even now… as Keith is having the worst breakdown he’s ever had, and even when he suppose to be present for his father and brother’s departure… Lance is here instead. He is here, holding Keith in his arms and reassuring him like he always does. The boy had a heart of gold and he always put the thoughts of others before himself… always put Keith before his own needs.

“D-Don’t leave me…” Keith whimpered against Lance’s chest.

“Don’t worry,” Lance smiled against the top of Keith’s head and continued to pet him in soothing motions, “I’m here… I’m not going to leave you, Keith...”

Keith pulled back a little, but not too far in order to escape his hold, and looked up at Lance, feeling surprised. As tears continued to fall down his cheeks, Lance was smiling at him. It was a sad smile, almost like he was going to cry too, but those beautiful, deep blue eyes were filled with nothing but kindness, and he continued to hold Keith in his arms while giving him his silent support.

The way Lance gently cupped the back of his head… as though he was protecting Keith from the harshness of the world. Or the way Lance’s soft, soothing voice told him that it was okay, that he would never leave him, it made Keith feel safe. As though all the doubts that Keith had about his feelings for Lance were evaporated the moment Lance held him in his arms.

“Everything’s okay,” Lance reassured him once again, “I’m here… I won’t leave you…”

“I-I-I’m sorry…” Keith mumbled.

“Why are you apologizing?” Lance asked, sounding very concerned as he snuggled into the top of Keith’s head, in attempt to comfort him, “You didn’t do anything wrong…”

“I-I made a big deal about all of this…” Keith muttered, “It isn’t even anything to worry about… you even came here when you were suppose to be present at my father’s departure…”

“What are you saying?” Lance pulled back a little, but he kept Keith close and secure in his arms, “Keith, your well-being is a thousand times more important to me than seeing them leave…”

“It shouldn’t…” he looked away, tears still flooding his eyes, “You shouldn’t worry about me all the time…”

“Goddamnit, Keith,” The boy was shocked by Lance’s harsh words, “Please, just let me worry about you!”

Keith’s eyes widen, a few tears still falling down his eyes as he stared up at Lance. He sounded angry, but his word choice made him sound more worried and upset. Lance was always such a kind, caring, person who put other above himself. Hearing him sound so… angry and devastated… it sounded as though the words were coming from a completely different person.

“Lance…” Keith blinked at him.

“Sorry for yelling, it’s just…” Lance looked away for a moment, as though he was trying to collect his thoughts before he said something bad. He looked down at Keith, looking serious, “Keith, it kills me to hear you say that this isn’t anything to worry about.  _ Of course _ I’m going to worry about you…”

“Lance… I,” A pause, “I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…” he trailed off.

“Keith…” Lance sighed, “You’re mean a lot to me… I really care about you.”

Lance’s words hit Keith hard, and definitely not in a bad way. He even found himself leaning against Lance again and relaxing against the touch. It was a simple gesture, but one that made Keith’s heart swell up so badly.

Keith slowly allowed his eyes to open and gazed at Lance with heavy eyes. Lance gave him a soft smile and allowed a hand to be lowered to his shoulder. Keith was surprised for a moment, but allowed a smile to finally pierce his lips. He didn’t even realize it, but Keith was finally calm, and his breathing nearly back to normal.

When Lance realized this, he chuckled a little, “There you go. Nice and easy.”

“Y-Yeah…” Keith looked away, “Thank you…”

“It’s no problem,” Lance smiled, “I’m more than happy to help whenever you need.”

“No, seriously, Lance.” Keith grabbed Lance’s hand firmly and moved it to hold it in front of him, “I… I don’t think I could thank you enough for… not only this, but everything else you’ve done for me.”

“What are you talking about?” Lance tilted his head to the side slightly.

“Just… everything.” He sighed, and looked up at Lance, “We… we may not have gotten along that well at first, but…” he paused for a moment.

“But…?”

“But you… you treated me like I was everyone else,” Keith looked away once again, looking a little distressed, “For all long as I remember, all I’ve known is that Alphas were superior, and Omegas were nothing… and after I presented… my life didn’t feel worth living anymore. I felt like I had no purpose.”

“Keith,” Lance reached his free hand to cherish Keith’s cheek, but Keith used his other hand to clasp it, and moved it next to the other hand he held tightly.

“But you…” Keith smiled softly, looking up at Lance, “You made me feel like life was actually worth living. For once, I actually didn’t feel useless. I felt like I meant something to someone… because of you.”

“Keith, of course you mean something to someone…” Lance squeezed Keith’s hands just as tight as he did, “You mean so much to me, and everyone else here.”

“I know…” he sighed happily, “You showed me that.”

“I hope that you always feel that way.” Lance grinned a little. “You deserve as much happiness as anyone else does.”

“And what about you?” Keith quirked a brow, “Are you happy the way things are right now?”

“What could I complain about?” Lance asked, a small smirk forming on his lips. “I managed to make an amazing friend, so everything’s okay.”

“Lance…” Keith looked at him, feeling surprised at Lance’s worlds.

“It’s not a lie, you know.” Lance shrugged, trying to make it sound casual, but his cheeks were a little pink, “H-Having You here is fun… and I like spending time with you…”

“M-Me too.” Keith blinked at him, still shocked at Lance’s words, “Thank you, again.”

“Why are you thanking me again?” Lance looks at him, “All I did was comfort you…” a pause, “You’re okay, right? You seem more calm now, but it’s okay to still be afraid.”

“I’m still a little shaken up… but I’m better,” Keith smiled at him, “Thanks to you.”

“Ah, you know,” Lance smirked at him, his eyes filled with mischief, “I know how to make people fall for me.” He gestures to himself, “I really have a way with words.”

Ah, so the real Lance is back.

“Fall for you?” Keith eyes him suspiciously. “What’s with that smirk of yours?”

“Nothing,” his smirk only grew.

“Lance…” Keith glared at him with a warning voice.

Lance was still for a few more moments, before he smirk turned into a wicked grin before he tackled Keith. The boy yelped at the sudden attack, but it turned into a bubble of giggles when Lance began to tickle him. 

And Keith’s one weakness was that he was ticklish practically  _ everywhere _ . It doesn’t matter where he gets tickled at, he will squirm and laugh like a child. After Shiro had discovered this secret, he would always tickle Keith and tease him about how ticklish he is. And it didn’t get much better when Lotor discovered the secret as well.

Keith’s laugh grew insanely loud as Lance attacked his armpits. He squealed and squirmed and did what he could to push Lance back. The sounds of Lance’s laughter mixed with Keith’s but it was almost hard to hear due to Keith’s loud laughter that filled up most of the room.

“L-Lance!” Keith giggled, gripping Lance’s shoulder in attempt to push him back, “Cut it out!”

“Nope!” Lance’s said with a grin, “You’re smiling, and laughing too, so I’m not going to stop.”

With that said, Lance moved his hands down to Keith’s defenseless stomach and tickled it too. The sudden contact caused Keith to practically squeak and his instinct kicked in, causing Keith to kick at Lance right in the abdomen. While Lance was still for only a few moments, it was enough to give Keith a change to attack back.

With a smirk, Keith launched himself forward to attack Lance. The boy let out a loud squeal as Keith collapsed on top of him. Lance stared up at Keith as the boy moved up to sit on top of Lance. The Altean prince blinked rapidly at the man sitting on top of him, and his face turned as red as a tomato at the boy above him smirked with a wicked chuckle.

“Whatcha doing down there, tough guy?” Keith asked, that wide smirk remaining on his lips.

“Well, I just got tackled down by a little purple kitten, so…” Lance grinned when he saw the way Keith’s eyes widen, and his cheeks turned into a magenta color.

“P-Purple kitten?” Keith blinked at him.

“Yeah,” Lance moved his hand to poke Keith’s pointy ear. “A little, purple kitty.”

Keith stared at him for another moment, causing Lance to think he succeeded at his teasing. But then, laughter filled the room. Lance’s smirk disappeared when he looked up and saw Keith… laughing. He had a hand up towards his mouth that was curled into a small fist in attempt to calm down his laughter. His eyes were squeezed shut and his browned were shot up.

Lance was silent, surprised if anything. Not that long ago, the boy above him had been breaking down in his arms, tears flooding his eyes and his cries filling the quiet room. And now… Keith was sitting on Lance as said boy was lying flat against the floor of their bedroom as Keith laughed like a child playing with their friends.

Seeing Keith so happy right now… after hearing everything he just said, it caused Lance to smile brightly. He was glad that Keith has calmed down now… and was finally smiling again. Even if it seemed too unreal, he was smiling. And that’s all that matters.

“Alright, alright, you win,” Lance chuckled at him, “Come on, get off me.”

Keith stared down at him, almost dumbfoundedly. Lance just laid there, waiting for Keith to do something, but he just sat there, staring at him. After a moment, Keith strictly crossed his arms over his chest, held his chin high and pouted like a child. Did he really have no intentions of getting off him?

“Keith,” Lance glared at Keith slightly, sounding like a parent with the warning tone in his voice.

“Yes?” He asks innocently.

“Get the fuck off of me,” Lance says in a deadpan voice.

“My, my, my,” Keith snickered, “How rude of you to address a prince like that!”

“Keith,”

“Fine, but you have to get me off yourself.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, you asked for it.”

A sudden yelp escaped from Keith throat when Lance sat up and proceeded to grab Keith. Instead of throwing him off like Keith was expecting, he quickly grabbed onto Keith and stood up with the Galra prince laying in Lance’s arms bridal style. Seeing Keith’s startle reaction caused Lance to smirk wickedly.

“L-L-Lance…!” Keith squealed.

“Hey, you told me that I had to get you off me myself.” Lance snickered, finding Keith’s flustered state adorable.

“P-P-Put me d-down!” He yelped. “I-I’ll fall!”

“I’m not going to drop you,” Lance said, “Relax.”

Keith didn’t seem to be relaxing any time soon. Actually, he curled a fist against Lance’s shirt and looked stressed, waiting for Lance to actually put him down. He… actually looked scared. Concerned, Lance placed Keith down on the floor.

“I’m sorry,” Lance frowned, moving to sit next to him, “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah, don’t worry,” Keith smiled sadly at him, “That just… flustered me a bit.”

“Speaking of, are you actually alright?” Lance asked him, “You were really freaking out when I came in… and now you’re just kind of… fine now.”

Keith’s cheeks turned a faint pink, and he looked away for a second before he spoke, “I’m still a little shaken up… I’m definitely calmed but…”

“Hey,” Lance moved his arm back to wrap it around Keith’s shoulders, “It’s okay to not be okay.”

“I’ve always kept my emotions hidden.” Keith looked at him, “So, I guess I’m used to it…”

“Used to it…” Lance mumbled, trailing off. It made Lance frown at the thought of a younger Keith panicking, crying his eyes out only to walk out and tell everyone he’s fine. Thinking about things like that made Lance feel uneasy and he wished that he could’ve told a younger Keith that he was loved… that he was cared for.

“Hey, Keith,” Lance scooted himself closer to Keith, “Don’t be afraid to tell me if anything is wrong, anything at all.”

“I know,” he smiled, looking down, “Thanks, though.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Said Lance, “You can be honest with me about anything. Whether it’s as serious as… this, or as simple as something that’s just bothering you. Y-You don’t even have to talk to me about it…! Y-You could talk to Allura or Hunk or-”

“Lance,” Keith turned a little towards Lance, “I know. I couldn’t be more grateful for your help.”

The man smiled softly, pulling Keith closer and leaned against him, “I care about you, Keith… all of us do. Shiro, Allura, Pidge, Hunk… we’re all here for you, whenever you need us. Anything of the day, we’ll be here…  _ I’ll _ be here.”

Keith blinked for a moment before smiling at Lance, “Thank you…” 

“No problem… Let’s head back down.” Lance suddenly said, “We can go back to our room and just relax for the rest of the day, okay?”

“O-Okay.”

With a nod, the two stood up before walking back over to the ledge. Lance jumped down first, and moved to help Keith down too. The two were quiet as they made their way back to their room, but when the got there, Keith sat down on the bed, and Lance came and sat next to him, simply smiling at him.

The two remained close together as the two moved to sit next against each other, offering each other silent support and company. Lance laid his head on top of Keith’s, causing the boy to shift his head so that it laid on Lance’s shoulder. It was a comfortable silence, being able to just simply enjoy each other’s presence. It was a nice feeling that Keith would never think he’d admit out loud.

Keith found himself smiling softly as he felt Lance’s warmth around him. He never thought he’d ever feel this comfortable around anyone that wasn’t Shiro or Lotor. It was an amazing feeling… a feeling that he wanted to feel for the rest of his life. Just to be able to be around that one person who always makes you laugh or smile… Keith wanted that. He wanted that so badly. Would it be that easy, though?

Maybe Keith should just say it. In the end, they were going to end up being mates anyway, so what would the problem be? It may make things awkward later on, but at least Keith could get this weight off his shoulders he’s had since his feelings have developed. It wasn’t even that hard; he just had to say “I like you” and it would be done and done. 

Keith shifted himself a little so that the tip of his nose was pressed against Lance’s neck, “Hey… Lance?”

Lance moved his head slightly, but he didn’t move from his place, “Yeah?”

“There’s… something I’ve been wanted to talk about…” Keith kept his voice in a slight whisper.

“Well, what is it?” Lance replied quietly.

Keith hesitated for a moment, keeping himself still and his mouth shut. He didn’t know why telling Lance something so simple felt like his entire life would change if he said it. It was three simple words that anyone could say to anyone. He didn’t need to make a big deal out of this… it could be a casual kind of thing.

Taking a deep breath, Keith spoke up, “Lance… I—”

He was cut off when a loud knock came from the bedroom door. Lance had lifted his head up towards the sound, causing Keith to pull away too. After a moment, another loud knock came from the door, echoing through the room, before a muffled, but familiar voice came from the other side.

“Keith? Lance?” The voice belonged to Shiro, “Are either of you in there?”

The two boys looked over at each other before Lance spoke up, “Come in!”

The door quickly opened and Shiro was standing outside of it. His fur looked as though each and every piece of hair was sticking out and he clothes looked a little wrinkled up. As they both looked up at Shiro, they saw the way the tops of his hair were slicked with sweat and he was panting slightly. Had Shiro been running? 

The man seemed to relax when his gaze moved over to Keith. His eyes glowed with warmth and he showed off a smile that Lance knew all too well. Lance knew that smile, but he couldn’t quite comprehend it. It was a soft one that Lance always made… one he always made whenever he was with Keith. Lance thought he could’ve just been overreacting, so he shrugged it off.

Shiro came rushing over to where Keith was on the bed and he crouched down so that he was at Keith’s level, “Keith? Are you okay?” He placed his hands on the smaller Galra’s shoulders, keeping his gaze locked with Keith’s. He looked… extremely worried, his eyes, once again, being clouded with concern.

Keith smiled before he nodded, “I-I’m okay, Shiro…”

The Galra let out a long breath of relief that he was holding, before that same smiled returned, “I got really worried when Lance took off after you. I thought something had happened…”

“I’m fine,” Keith assured him with a quick pat on the shoulder, before he looked over at Lance, “L-Lance helped me…”

Lance was confused as to why Keith began to stutter at the mention of his name. In the end, Keith did look happy when he looked at him. Lance didn’t know why Keith being happy around Shiro bothered him so much. Keith said that he’s know Shiro ever since he was little, so he didn’t know why he needed to make a big deal out of it. He’s known Pidge and Hunk ever since they were babies, so Lance didn’t understand why he felt so uneasy.

Shiro let out, yet again, another relieved sigh before he looked at Lance with an overjoyed expression, “Thank you for going after him… I don’t know what could’ve happened if he was left alone.”

Lance found himself smiling softy at his words, but he only looked at Keith, “Of course…”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Shiro turned his attention back to Keith, a stern look on his face.

“I’m fine,” Keith giggled a little before he tapped his finger on the space between Shiro’s eyes, “You worry too much.”

“I can’t help it…” Shiro sighed a little, “I always worry about you… and whether or not you’re okay after everything that’s happened recently.”

“I’m okay, Takashi,” Keith assured him again.

Takashi? Lance has never heard anyone call Shiro that. Was Takashi a nickname, or was Shiro a nickname? Takashi and Shiro didn’t sound any similar at all, so Lance was just confused. It had always been Shiro… where did the name come from?

“Takashi…?” Lance blinked at the two.

“Oh—” Keith turned himself towards Lance, “Takashi is Shiro’s real name.”

“Is Shiro like, a nickname or something?”

“My last name is Shirogane,” Shiro explained to Lance, “I didn’t really like my first name as a kid, so I had my parents and friends call me Shiro.”

“He hardly lets anyone call him Takashi,” Keith said, “Usually only people he’s really close to.”

Lance found himself keeping quiet after hearing that. If Shiro was okay with Keith calling him  _ Takashi _ … then they must be a lot closer than Lance thought. He found himself frowning at the thought, and he didn’t know why. He, Pidge and Hunk were very close like Keith and Shiro, and they were all still great friends. But the way Shiro and Keith looked at each other… it almost felt like it was different than just regular friends.

He knew that he was acting ridiculous, that if he could be really close to Pidge and Hunk, than Keith could be close to someone like Shiro. Lance didn’t understand why he got so frustrated with the way the two fondly looked at each other. He wasn’t even completely sure about his feelings so Keith, sp he should be okay with Keith potentially liking Shiro or anyone else for that matter. It wasn’t any of his business.

And yet, somehow, Lance found himself frowning and trying his best not to scrunch his eyebrows. Even if he was a little jealous of Shiro, the last thing he wanted was to make Shiro think he hated him. Lance didn’t hate Shiro… but the way he kept looking at Keith angered him and he didn’t understand why. If he didn’t like Keith, than shouldn’t he be okay with someone having feelings for him?

Instead of being upset about it, Lance shook his head and chose to learn a little more, “You two must be a lot closer than I thought. Keith has told me a bit about how you two met.”

Shiro laughed a little, that fond smile never leaving, “He wanted to learn to fight so badly. No one would teach him.”

“If I had been in a situation where I would need to fight, I would have blamed them,” Keith laughed too, “They all eventually took me seriously after the general of the guard took interest in me.”

“I’m not the general anymore, remember?” Shiro looked at Keith.

“I know, I know,” Keith rolled his eyes

“Not the general?” Lance blinked at him, “Since when?”

“After the arrangement was confirmed, Zarkon wanted someone to stay at the castle with Keith in case anything happened,” Shiro explained, “Since I was close to Keith, and was already considering retiring my role, he asked me to stay here.”

“So you’re no longer general?” Lance asked, “What about your armor?”

“I may not be general, but I’m still a soldier,” He chuckled, “I get to keep it.”

Lance paused at the thought. If Shiro wasn’t general anymore, Lance felt like someone should’ve told him, or alerted him of this news. He was told just about the same things as his father was told, so Lance was confused as to why no one alerted him of the news. It could’ve just been unimportant news, since it more Galra kingdom business than it is for Altea, but if Shiro was going to be staying to keep an eye on Keith, Lance assumed that such information would’ve been shared with him.

“No one told you this?” Keith asked, as if he were reading Lance’s mind.

“No,” Lance shook his head, “Not my father, not anyone.”

“It’s unimportant,” Shiro shook his head, turning his attention back to Keith, “My top priority right now is looking after Keith.”

“And you always did do a good job at that before,” Keith chuckled, a smile growing on his lips once more, “That’ll make this child’s play.”

“Let’s hope you make it feel that way,” Shiro replied with a laugh.

As the two of them spoke, Lance found himself turning away a little from them. He almost felt like an outsider during their interaction; a third wheel if anything. Lance felt like he wasn’t supposed to be there, or rather he wasn’t there at all. Of course, Lance didn’t hate Shiro by any means, but seeing him and Keith acting this way around each other made him feel uneasy, like it wasn’t right.

Lance found himself moving away more when Shiro went to sit down next to Keith on the bed to talk to him. Was he supposed to be here? Did they even want him there? Maybe they saw him as a nuisance, someone who was ruining their time together. Lance knew that he was being ridiculous, but he wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case, that they truly didn’t want him with them…

Without even thinking, Lance found himself standing up and walking over towards the bedroom door. He noticed that Keith and Shiro’s conversation stopped when he stood up, but it didn’t matter. Lance just really wanted to get out of the room, to do something, maybe even talk to someone, but who? He knew Pidge and Hunk would tease him if the talked to them, so maybe….

“Lance?” The boy didn’t move as he heard Keith’s voice, and the concerning way he sounded, “Where are you going?”

“There’s… something important that I forgot to take care of,” Lance turned his head to look at Keith and gave him the most realistic fake smile he could muster, “Don’t mind me, just catch up with Shiro and I’ll be back in a while…”

Keith didn’t even get much of a chance to say anything before Lance found himself nearly slamming the door shut before he rushed down the hallway towards a familiar bedroom he knew all too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lowkey feel like I was exaggerating when I said y'all were gonna cry but hey if you cried I guess that offically makes me a good writer?
> 
> I update every other friday!
> 
> Social media:  
> IG: thosespacegays  
> Art IG: Lxttlecomfey (I have and will soon post my art from this fic there)  
> Tumblr: lxttlecomfey  
> Tellonym: thosespacegags


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for posting this stupidly wait. I was going to finish editing the chapter earlier but I ended up falling asleep like mid-way through ^^;  
> Hope you enjoy!

(August 27th, 12:33pm…)

Lance sighed as he knocked a few times on a well-known and familiar bedroom door. He felt silly for going there of all places to go and talk to someone and get some advice, but Lance didn’t have many options left to begin with. 

Pidge and Hunk were busy with work, and would tease him more than they would share advice. He didn’t feel comfortable talking to Alfor about this, or talking to him about anything for that matter. Lance couldn’t exactly talk to Keith or Shiro about it either since, well… they’re part of the problem. Out of potential options, this was all Lance had left.

At first, Lance was unsure if he should do this, or ask anyone for any kind of advice. He found himself procrastinating for at least half an hour by pacing around and wandering around hallways that lead anywhere in the castle other than where he was now. After thinking it over a few times, Lance knew that he didn’t have any other options left and that he couldn’t avoid this.

A few seconds after knocking, Lance heard muffled noises coming from the inside of the room, and a voice telling him that they’d be there in a second. It didn’t take very long before Lance heard the sound of bare feet against hard floor and the sound of the doorknob being pushed before the door slowly opened and revealed who was inside.

“Lance?” Allura looked really concerned when she realized who was at the door.

Since Zarkon left, Allura had changed out of her usual dress and went for some more casual clothing. She wore a tight, light pink t-shirt that hugged her thin body and a pure black skirt that ended midway down her thighs. Her long, pure white hair was pulled back into a neat bun, but with many strands falling out of it, but she didn’t seem to mind since her attention was focused on her brother.

“Allura…” Lance looked away, feeling a little embarrassed, “Can I uh— talk to you about something?”

“Yes, of course, get in here,” Allura moved out of the way so that Lance could walk into her room. Lance gave a quick thanks before he stepped into the room.

The room’s walls, like Lance’s, we’re pure white, but a lot of the furniture in the room was pink. Her dresser, her wardrobe, her bedsheets. They were all some kind of shade of pink. Her bed, like Lance’s, was huge, and must’ve felt larger since she had the bed all to herself unless her four pet mice slept in the bed with her, and it’s not like they took up much space to begin with. Her room was definitely more feminine than Lance’s, but was about the same as his.

As Lance sat down on the edge of Allura’s bed, the women quickly followed behind and sat next to her brother, nothing but worry and concern clouding her face. Lance always appreciated Allura’s loving and caring, yet determined nature. She was always naturally caring towards everyone, but when it comes to doing work, she won’t let anyone slack off for even a second.

“Now, what’s wrong?” Allura asked, her hands resting gently on her lap, “I got really worried when you took off out of nowhere. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, ‘Lura,” Lane sighed a little, and he couldn’t hide the sadness that loomed over his face.

“That doesn’t sound like it,” Allura frowned, placing a hand on her brother’s shoulders, “What happened?”

Lance found himself slouching forward, his gaze never leaving his hands that sat on his lap, “After Pidge came in announcing that Keith ran away crying… I don’t know what happened. All I knew was that Zarkon did something to him and all I could think about was finding him… making sure he wasn’t alone… that he didn’t feel scared anymore…”

“Oh, Lance…” Allura moved closer to give her brother some support. She could tell by Lance’s words and the way he spoke that now wasn’t the time to tease Lance about Keith. This was very serious.

“I went to our room, but I couldn’t find him.” Lance kept going, his voice turning more sad by the second, “I smelt him, though, so I was able to find him. When I did, he was crying his eyes out. When he looked up at me…” he paused, his eyes clouded with worry, as he lowered himself more, “He looked so fucking scared… I  _ hated _ seeing him like that. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen…”

Lance let out a deep breath before he kept speaking, “I held him in my arms as he cried. He cried so much… he kept apologizing and… he kept begging me to not leave him. I’ve never seen him like this… and I never want to ever again.”

“Is everything okay?” Allura asked, “Is he alright?”

“Yes, yes he’s fine.” Allura felt relieved to see Lance smile, “He calmed down, and we joked around a bit. We just kind of sat together for a while… it was nice.”

Allura gave Lance a look, one he knew all too well, “That isn’t the problem, isn’t it?”

Lance stayed quiet for a minute, before he shaked his head with a sigh, “No… like I said, we sat together and just enjoyed each other’s company. But then… a knock came from the door.”

“Who was it?”

“It was Shiro,” Lance’s expression turned sad once again, causing Allura to worry again, “He looked really worried… when he saw Keith he rushed to his side and kept asking him if he was okay. He kept saying he was glad that Keith was okay…”

“I don’t really see what the problem is…” Allura replied, feeling confused.

“The two were completely distracted with each other…” Lance frowned, “I felt like I wasn’t needed anymore… that Keith had Shiro to look after him, so there was no reason for me to be there.” Lance threw his head into his hands, “I don’t know why I got so upset! They’ve known each other forever, but… they way they looked at each other… I just couldn’t stand it!”

“Lance…” Allura moved so that she was pressed against Lance’s side before she gave him a side hug, “I think you’re jealous of Shiro.”

Lance? Jealous? Of Shiro? It made a little sense… but it sounded ridiculous when Lance heard it outloud. How could he be jealous of someone like Shiro? While Shiro did have a lot of things to be jealous of, being jealous of his relationship with Keith just didn’t sound right. It was entirely possible that he was jealous, but…

“Me? Jealous?” Lance blinked at his sister like she was crazy.

Allura gave Lance another look that he knew all too well. It was a look that basically said:  _ Really? I know you’re lying.  _ It was a look that could get anyone to spill out any dirty secret they could be denying. The power of this woman was terrifying beyond words, and Lance absolutely hated it. He needed to get some lessons from her.

“Maybe I am…” Lance sighed, shaking his head, “But I don’t know why…”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Allura pretended to look like she was thinking, “Maybe because you  _ like _ him??”

“I don’t know, Allura!” Lance threw his head in his hands once again, “I’ve only known him for… not even a whole month!” He moved his head up to look over at his sister, “How am I supposed to know if I actually like him?”

“Well… tell me what you like about him,” Allura shrugged, “What is it about Keith that makes you feel that way?”

“Um… well…” Lance paused, looking down at his lap, “His smile and his laugh… Hearing it and seeing it always makes my skin boil. He always apologizes even if he didn’t do anything, and I always thought it was kind of cute…” Lance didn’t even realize that he starts smiling, and his cheeks began to heat up.

“Alright,” replied Allura, “What else?”

“He’s so passionate about the things he do,” Lance’s smile only grew as he spoke, “He gets excited when he talks about them… that grin on his face and the way his eyes light up…” he found himself giggling, “He always rambles really fast when talking about things he love… sometimes he talks so fast that I swear he doesn’t even speak real words.”

Allura found herself smiling fondly at the way Lance just went on about Keith. Lance didn’t even realize how much he talked about Keith. He’ll admit… he adored talking about him, but… just because he liked talking about Keith, did it really mean Lance had a crush on him? He supposed that talking about Keith’s smile… his laugh… his voice… could mean something.

“So… what do you think?” Lance looked over at Allura.

The women blinked at him stupidly, an unsurprised look on her face, “You have it  _ so _ bad for him.”

“Allura, no I don’t.” Lance sighed, “It’s one thing if I like spending time with Keith, and like him as an overall person, but how do I know if I really do like him in that way?” Lance buried his fingers into his hair, “How do I know?”

“You just have to trust yourself.” Allura frowned at him, “I can’t tell you how to know. The whole concept of love is a complicating feeling that I can’t tell you for sure if you do. I can only provide my own opinion on it. You have to know how you feel.”

Lance was surprised by Allura’s sudden turn around at the topic. He would have normally expected her to just say he liked Keith just to tease him about it. It was actually really unlike her… but Lance still felt happy to have her support, in one way or another. 

But now Lanc actually had to think: did he like Keith? It was something he’s never really thought about. He, of course, had seen Keith as a friend when he first came here, but now things have changed. He became much closer to Keith since, especially today after what happened. But could he see himself being with Keith in that way?

Lance tried to think about it from several points. He loved seeing Keith’s smile and laugh, and seeing the way his hair would always stick at different ends when he woke up was adorable, no matter how much he denied it. When he saw Keith’s broken down state, it  _ killed _ him on the inside. He hated seeing him like that, and wanted to do anything to make sure Keith never had to feel like that.

That was why he lost control in the throne room. Lance couldn’t stand that Keith’s own father caused him pain. He wanted to let Zarkon know that he caused his son pain, wanted him to know what he did. When he later saw the fear in Keith’s eyes, he knew he didn’t regret it. All Lance wanted to do was to make Keith happy, to take his pain away and to do anything to make him feel happy, and knowing that he did warmed his heart.

His eyes widen when he actually thought about it, and thought about how Keith being happy made him happy. Isn’t that what love is? He remembered how he felt when Keith looked at Shiro. It hurt, almost, seeing someone else make Keith just as happy as Lance made Keith feel. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Keith to be friends with Shiro, but the thought of Keith being someone else…

“Fuck.” Lance threw his head down, “I think I do like him… fuck.”

“You guys are going to end up being mates anyways,” Allura shrugged,  “But it’s good you do.”

“Allura!” Lance looked at her, his face somehow looking shocked and angry at the same time.

“I’m kidding!” She giggled, giving Lance’s arm a playful shove, “But seriously, Lance, you shouldn’t be afraid of the way you feel. I’m sure that Keith feels the same way you do.”

“And what makes you say that?” Lance looked at her, still looking worried.

Allura paused, looking worried for a moment. She looked away, feeling unsure for a moment before she sighed and turned back to Lance, a seriously look on her face. Lance felt lightheaded when his sister spoke, “You two look at each other the way mom and dad used to look at each other…”

Her words caused Lance to stare at her in shock, but all Allura did was give him the most serious look she ever has. Those bright blue eyes with lilac stared into his soul, trying their best to show Lance the truth, to know that she was serious. And Lance couldn’t help but believe her. He never got to see dad with mom, but he knew the power of those words.

He hated to admit it, but after thinking about it, Allura was… actually right. Lance thought about what happened on the rood… how Keith had looked so scared. When Lance went to him, Keith held onto him so tightly and made sure he didn’t slip away from Lance. He truly wanted Lance’s comfort in that moment of weakness… he didn’t want anyone else.

Lance thought about the way Keith cried into his chest, tightly holding him and begging him not to leave him. He thought about the way Keith smiled at him… grateful for Lance’s comfort. The way Lance smiled at him while they teased each other, the way he snickered at him as sat on his hips, his eyes glowing with mischief and joy. Lance remembered the way Keith held onto him tightly and squealed when Lance picked Keith up and how scared he was, thinking Lance was going to drop him.

All of their moments spent together… the two of them laughing like fools over a game of twenty questions… Pidge and Hunk snickering at them as Keith teased him. Thinking about all the time they’ve spent together, even if there weren’t as many moments as Lance would like… he realized how much he loved their time together… and the way Keith looked at him, teased and joked with him.

Allura had never been more correct.

“Ugh, shit…” Lance threw his head in his hands, his eyebrows scrunched up, “I don’t know what I’m going to do…”

“You should tell him,” Allura smiled at him, “I can tell you really like him…”

“Yes, yes, I do… I’m pretty positive I do…” Lance closed his eyes tightly, throwing his hands in his lap, “But should I? I just… I don’t know.”

“Lance.” Allura placed her hands on top of Lance’s, grasping them tightly, “Listen to me, love like this doesn’t come around every day. If you let it slip past, than you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

“I just…” he moved his head up to look at Allura, “but it… it just feels like it’s too soon. I just don’t think I’m ready…”

“I’m not telling you to tell him right now,” Allura said, “But you shouldn’t let something like this slip by.” She held onto his hands tighter, “When you feel comfortable telling him, then don’t hesitate. But don’t wait too long or he might move on if he truly does like you.”

Lance smiled fondly at his sister, and he could’ve sworn he felt tears begin to form at the edge of his eyes, “Thank you, Allura… I promise I won’t wait too long.”

Allura smiled back at her brother before the two of them wrapped their arms around their shoulders and hugged each other tightly. Having the warmth and comfort of his big sister in a situation like this always made Lance smiled. Even if his sister loved to tease and make fun of him, she was always there for him, no matter how bad or serious the problem was. And Lance was glad Allura was able to help him with this.

As they pulled away from their hug, Lance found himself wiping his eyes, but the smile on his face fading, “There is still one problem…” 

Allura mimicked Lance’s frown, growing worried again, “What is it?”

“What am I going to do about Shiro?” Lance sighed, “I’m positive he has a thing for Keith. He looks at him like he’s the whole damn world and they’ve known each other for  _ years _ !” A groan escaped from his throat, “How the hell can I compete with  _ that _ ?”

Allura paused for a moment, placing her fingers against her chin, lost in thought. After a few seconds, she snapped her fingers in the air, a wide smirk forming on her lips before she turned back to Lance, “What if... you don’t have to steal Shiro away from Keith?”

“And how exactly can I do that?” Lance looked at her, “If Shiro has some kind of feelings for him, and me confessing to Keith kind of sounds like I’m stealing Keith from Shiro.”

“Exactly!” Allura stood up from her bed with a slight bounce on her toes, turning to face Lance, “We simply have to make it look like we aren’t stealing him from Shiro!”

“I don’t quite follow,” Lance sat up, “What are you saying?”

“There are tons of Alteans around the castle!” Allura cheered, “We can just set him up with someone!”

Lance stood up completely and looked at his sister with a shocked look, “Set him up with someone?”

“Yeah!” She bounced a little as she moved, causing her skirt to go up a little with it, “If we introduce him to someone of his type, he’ll fall for them and forget all about Keith! So then, you won’t be stealing Keith from anybody and you’ll have no competition over Keith with anybody!”

“Look, ‘Lura, I’ll admit, it’s not a bad idea,” Lance placed his hands on her shoulder in attempt to calm her down, “But we can’t even guarantee Shiro will grow to like them.”

“You don’t know that,” Allura grabbed Lance’s hands and slid them off her shoulders, “It’s worth a try. And who knows, if Shiro does grow to like them, maybe he’ll get into a truly loving and caring relationship with them. Worst comes to worst, just tell Keith how you feel when you feel ready, regardless of the circumstances.”

“I…” Lance let out a long, tired sigh, “Fine. But how are we going to find out his type without making look suspicious?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Allura grinned with a snicker, “I’ll take care of it. You just worry about getting the courage to tell him your feelings for the time being. After I learn what I can, we will meet up and work it up from there.”

“A-Alright…” Lance looked down at his sister, “You sound a lot more interested in this than I do…”

“I probably am,” The girl shrugged, “Now go, I’ll take care of things for the time being.”

“Uh— o-okay…” Lance walked away from Allura and went over to her bedroom door.

“Lance,” Allura suddenly called out to her brother, “Just know that… you deserve someone like Keith.”

He smiled softly at his sister, “I know… thank you.”

-

(August 30th, 4:38pm…)

Keith walked down the hallways of the castle with Shiro, laughing at the story he told him about what happened before Shiro officially retired as general. Shiro had explained to him that after announcing his retirement to the soldiers, they insisted that they throw a huge retirement party. They all ended up teasing and joking about how Shiro was too young to retire, but they were still happy for him nonetheless.

He was happy to admit that he was glad Shiro was going to be living here for the time being. Keith had been getting used to not having Shiro or Lotor around, but he was still happy to have someone he’s very close with around the castle. It wasn’t that Keith didn’t like the people here, but he still enjoyed having someone he’s familiar with close by once again.

Shiro was the kind of guy Keith felt like he could go to about anything. He definitely was a strong, caring and supportive kind of person, all the qualities of an amazing leader. Keith always told Shiro that it was those qualities that made him perfect for general of the guard. He was always a naturally caring person and that made Keith feel like Shiro was a brother to him.

Keith felt glad when Shiro came to find him after he took off. Shiro always worried about him, and Keith thought having one overprotective older brother was annoying. With the way Shiro is, Keith might as well be the youngest of  _ three _ brothers. Lotor is really good friends with Shiro and they both seem to agree that they must protect Keith until their last breath. While they’re both protective, at least Shiro had some respect for his privacy.

As happy as Keith was to see Shiro after his breakdown, he felt a little disappointed that Shiro interrupted his little moment with Lance. He felt warm and bubbly when he was cuddled up close to Lance’s side and it felt like magic. What made Shiro’s visit even worse was that he interrupted his confession with Lance. Keith felt like all the courage he had built up to tell Lance had been drained and that he lost this chance.

In the end, Keith still felt happy to see Shiro and to have him comfort him. He started to really miss having an old friend around and he glad at least Shiro was going to be here all the time. Keith would at least get to see Lotor and maybe even Haggar during some events.

Keith find himself blinking rapidly as he heard Shiro speak up once again, “Everyone kept asking me who was going to be take over as general. I kept telling them that I had no control over who took over, but they kept insisting I knew.”

“I would have thought you knew if I were them,” Keith looked up at him, “You aren’t exactly the best at keeping secrets.”

“Name one time I haven’t kept a secret,” Shiro glared at him with a joking smile.

Keith snickered with a grin and opened his mouth to speak up, but Shiro hushed him, “Actually— don’t answer that.”

Keith let out a hearty laugh at Shiro’s comment, a bright grin decorating his face. It was moments like these that he’s really missed before Shiro arrived. Moments like this where they laughed together over old moments. He knew all too well how badly Shiro was at keeping secrets, which made Keith question why he still tells him everything.

“Why  _ do _ I tell you anything?” Keith glared at him.

“Because you know I give the best advice you could ever find,” Shiro giggled.

Keith opened his mouth to make some snappy comment like he usually does, but he closed his mouth and shook his head while a smile, “Can’t argue with that now.”

“ _ Speaking _ of,” Shiro looked at Keith, a wicked smirk appearing on his face. Keith knew that smirk all too well, “How have you and Lance been?”

“It’s only been like, five days…” Keith blinked at him, his brow quirked up.

“Yes, but…” Shiro’s eyes trailed off to the side for a second, “How did it go… with the whole breakdown? It seemed really bad…”

“Horrible…” Keith sighed, moving his hand up to run his left arm, “But, Lance was there. It made me feel like everything was okay in the best ways possible.”

“He really pulled through,” Shiro smiled gratefully, “You should have seen him in the throne room…”

“Why?” Keith looked at him, “What did he do?”

“No one told you?” Shiro’s eyes widen in surprise, “You should have seen him… it was intense. When Zarkon came and you weren’t with him, all he thought about was you. Lance lashed out at Zarkon… screamed at him. He called Zarkon out about what you said to him… Lance nearly wouldn’t gotten into a fight with Zarkon if Lotor and I didn’t stop him.”

Keith blinked at Shiro before he looked down, a bright blush decorating his cheeks. Lance really did that… for him? He felt grateful that Lance rushed out to comfort him, but he really did all of that? Just for him? Hearing Shiro say that Lance did those things… Keith found himself smiling softly, his eyes glowing brightly with joy and he didn’t even realize his smile kept growing the more he thought about it.

He knew that Lance had a caring personality, someone who would be willing to do anything for his loved ones, but hearing that Lance yelled at his father, risking the entire peace treaty just because of him, it made Keith's heart swell with joy. If Keith thought he hasn’t completely fallen for Lance, he definitely did now and he couldn’t be any more happier.

“Someone's happy,” Shiro chuckled and patted Keith’s back a few times.

“Yeah…” Keith mumbled a little, his bright smile and blush never leaving, “I-I had no idea he did those things…” he looked up at Shiro, “I just can’t help but feel so happy.”

Shiro’s eyes widen at Keith’s words, his eyebrows shooting up, “You really  _ do _ like him. Holy shit.”

“Now what is  _ that _ suppose to mean?” Keith glared at Shiro, but there was a smile on his face as he punched Shiro’s arm, but it didn’t even hurt him.

Shiro let out a laugh as he jokingly rubbed his arm, “I’ve just never seen you like this before. You must have it really bad if he’s got you like this.”

“Y-Yeah, I do,” Keith smiled, “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. It feels almost scary.”

“Love isn’t anything scary,” Shiro turned to face Keith, “Love is… it’s an amazing feeling. It’s the feeling of wanting to hold onto someone, to cherish them. It’s a feeling you get when you find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with.”

“I’ve been starting to feel that way around Lance recently,” Keith sighed happily.

“Then, why wait?” Shiro blinked at him, “You should tell him how you feel sometime soon,”

“I was trying to,” Keith look up at Shiro with a frustrated look, “But a certain someone came and interrupted us.”

Shiro blinked at him stupidly before his eyes widen and he moved his hand to point to himself, “W-Wait, you were about to confess to him, before I came in to check on you?”

“Yes, don’t remind me,” Keith groaned, throwing his head in his hands, “I feel like all the courage I had has been drained out of me and I didn’t even end up saying anything.”

“I just ruined your whole life and I will never let myself forget this,” Shiro flopped himself down a little in defeat.

“Shiro,” Keith shook his head, “It’s fine. I’ll get the courage eventually. I just need time.”

“Don’t force yourself,” Shiro stood up straight and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “Do it when you’re ready.”

“I know,” Keith snickered, “You’re doing that dad voice you do.”

“What dad voice? I do not have a dad voice.”

“See?” Keith pointed at Shiro, a smirk on his lips, “That voice right there. You sound exactly like a dad.”

“Who sounds like a dad now?”

The new voice caused both Galra to raise their heads up to look at where the voice came from. In front of them, more closer to the hallway’s end, were Lance and Allura. They both wore more casual wear with Lance sporting a regular blue tank top with black shorts. Meanwhile, Allura wore a short, pink, sleeveless sundress with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Even in such casual clothing, both of them still looked like they were royalty.

The two of them walked up Keith and Shiro, and Keith couldn’t help but get flustered over Lance’s outfit. He’s always seen him in such formal clothes, clothes that cover up all of the curves of Lance’s body. But this… Keith felt like he was going to pass out because of the way the muscles of Lance’s arms looked. Even Lance was a little lanky for the average Alpha, he sure knew how to dress to impress.

When they approached, Keith had to hold back the urge to bite his lip. Lance looked even better up close. While all the feelings he’s had for Lance have been completely based off his thoughts and personality, it would be a crime for Keith to ignore the way his clothes showed off all of Lance’s curves in the best way possible. Lance had the body of a greek god. 

If his body wasn’t enough, Keith never took the time to notice exactly how many freckles Lance had. He had a good patch of them on his cheeks and nose, but they just took over Lance’s arms and shoulders. As cliché as it sounded, Keith really wanted to kiss them. It may take his entire life to kiss all of them, but who wouldn’t?

“Hey guys,” Lance grinned, a grin he’s always kept on around anyone. The grin grew when his eyes lingered on Keith, “Wearing something comfortable today? It’s a little warm to be wearing something like that.”

Keith looked down at his choice of clothing, frowning a little. All he really had on was a dark grey t-shirt and some black yoga pants. They were more pajama themed clothing, but it’s not like he hasn't worn these clothes around the castle before. Besides, it’s not like they ever had any plans to go out anywhere.

“You’re acting like we’re about to meet a celebrity,” Keith chuckled, “But seriously, I just felt like wearing something comfortable. And the castle has air conditioning everywhere, so I think I’ll be alright.”

Lance let out a laugh at Keith’s comment, “I suppose so, but do you have any,” a pause, “How do I put this… nicer casual clothes?”

Keith leaned closer to Lance’s face, a smirk appearing on his lips, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Lance leaned closer, copying Keith’s smirk with a glitter of joy in his eyes, “I’m just giving my constructive opinion on your clothing choice.”

“Alright, that’s enough you two,” Allura put her hands between them and shoved both of them away from each other. “No more fighting,” she turned towards Shiro, “Shiro, could I speak to you…” She glanced over at Keith and Lance, “Privately?”

“Ooh~” Lance grinned, “Gonna go make out in a corner or something?”

Lance yelped as he felt Allura suddenly punch him right on top of the head. Keith couldn’t hold back the grin that appeared on his face and he ended up giggling widely at how Lance rubbed the top of his head and pouted at his sister. He was too busy holding back his laughs to notice how Lance looked up him, blinking at him before he went back to pouting at Allura.

“Lance,” Allura spoke with a very passive-aggressive tone, like she was warning Lance not to get on her nerves, “Why don’t you take Keith and…” a pause, “Go do something together!”

“Like what exactly?” Lance blinked at her.

“I don’t know!” Allura groaned, moving behind Keith and Lance and shoving them both forward a little with hardly any effort. For a beta, Keith thought Allura had some muscle, “Just go and spend time together! You two are always up each other’s asses all day anyways!”

“Allura!” Lance squealed, slapping Allura on the shoulder with a bright blush on his face.

“Just go!”

Keith and Lance look at each other with bright blushes and questionable looks before they turned their backs on the pair and began to walk away from them. Allura’s comment made Keith feel warm and even as he and Lance turned down the next hallway, he couldn’t remove the blazing blush that decorated his cheeks and neck. 

As embarrassed as he was, Keith wondered why Allura wanted to speak with Shiro. He knows the two of them have been talking a lot recently, but Keith was curious as to why she wanted to speak with Shiro without prying eyes or ears. The worst thing Keith could think of was that Shiro and Allura were in some kind of scandalous relationship they were hiding. 

And knowing Shiro and his history with relationships, he wouldn’t even be able to get past a kiss on the cheek

“What do you think Shiro and Allura are talking about?” Keith nearly flinched when Lance spoke up.

“Who knows,” Keith shrugged, trying to keep himself calm, “They probably just wanted to have a private conversation.”

“Or to make out in the corner,” Lance snickered with a grin.

“Shiro? Not a chance,” Keith laughed, “He may appear to be the perfect bachelor, but trust me, he is the most awkward, flustered man in the world. He couldn’t get a date even if someone asked them for him. And I'm not exaggerating.”

“Is he really that bad?” Lance asked, looking confused.

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a bad guy. He can be really sweet.” Keith held his hands up defensively, “Shiro just gets really nervous when it comes to romance. He’s good at giving romantic advice, but not good at going through with it.”

“So, he’s a flustered mess?” Lance chuckled with a smirk.

“Yes,” Keith snickered, “So if Allura did have some kind of thing with Shiro, I bet she’s telling him things aren’t working out.”

Lance let out a loud laugh that echoed through the halls, causing Keith to smile and his cheeks heat up right after they began to fade. Hearing Lance’s laugh, even if he didn’t cause him to do so, always made Keith smile. The sound was as beautiful as an angel’s voice and Keith would gladly listen to it day and night if he could.

“Besides,” Lance’s laughs started to calm down, but his grin remained, “Allura has high standards. If she ever does show interest in someone, they have to be exactly her type. Looks, personality, clothing taste, everything. If the man trying to woo her don’t meet all of her standards, than they can forget it.”

“But I’m really curious about what they’re talking about,” Keith looked down at the floor in thought, “What could she be talking about that is so important that she didn’t want us to listen in?”

“W-Who knows,” Lance shrugged casually.

-

(4:54pm…)

As Keith and Lance turned the corner to the next hallway, Allura looked up at Shiro, who was giving her a neutral look, but she could tell that the man was curious about what the princess of Altea wanted to talk about. It all seemed rather mysterious, and who wouldn’t be skeptical when two people go off to have a private conversation?

To Allura, there was something about Galra that always fascinated her, in a more scientific way if anything. Alteans, Balmera and Olkari have around the same build, with Balmerans usually being taller and a little more built than Alteans and Olkari due to their biological origins, but there was something about Galra that always made Allura want to dive deeper into their history.

Most Alteans, Balmerans, and Olkari usually look relatively close to how their species look. Even if they were half of another species, they showed distinctive traits from both parts of the species they make up. However, the Galra were unique when it came to that known fact. Most, if not all, of the Galra tend to have features of humanoid species that are not known. Some have traits of Alteans, like Lotor, or of the other two species, but some Galra look like unknown species with interesting traits with unknown origin.

Shiro, despite being an almost completely full blooded Galra, was actually more unique than seeing a half-breed Galra. Before, seeing a half-breed of a species was unique, something scientist used to constantly used to look for so they could runs tests on them to see what kinds of unique abilities they could get when the DNA of two different species combine. Now with the Galra, scientist can determine what kinds of abilities they have, but can never directly identify what kind of species they make up.

So seeing Shiro, a fully blooded Galra, was pretty interesting since no one can ever find full blooded Galra anymore. Full blooded Galra had messy fur and their eyes glow with yellow, with a lack of pupils. Shiro did have pupils, which made Allura curious about why that was the case.

“So you wanted to speak with me?” Shiro suddenly asked, “Is something wrong?”

“What— oh nothing's wrong!” Allura assured him, raising her hands up defensively, “I just have a… kind of personal question I wanted to ask. I didn’t want Keith and Lance to listen just in case it was too personal to share in front of them.”

“Well, thank you for that, but what did you want to ask?” Shiro asked, folding his arms on his chest, but in a more casual way rather that hostile.

“Oh…” Allura paused for a moment and tried to keep herself calm as she thought over her and Lance’s more detailed plan they came up with later.

To summarize, Allura would say to Shiro that she was experimenting with the type of people that Alphas, Betas or Omegas liked compared to others, and Allura would ask Shiro what his type was. If he did give her an answer, she would later tell Lance and introduce him up with someone with his taste, and see if things go well from there. As for anything else that may go bad, Lance thought they would just cross that bridge when they get to it for the time being.

Allura let out a long sigh before she looked up at Shiro, “I wanted to conduct an experiment… It’s one that I’ve never seen in any books and I thought it would be fun to try it out.”

“What is it?” Shiro asked.

“It’s an experiment regarding…” She coughed a little into her hand, “The types of people that people like.”

“I don’t see what’s so bad about that,” Shiro shrugged casually, giving her a questionable look.

“It mostly came to me when I randomly begin to think about if Alphas have similar tastes in people to other Alphas and so forth.” Allura explained trying not to sound too suspicious, “So I wanted to ask different Alphas, Betas, and Omegas around the castle what they’d like in a partner and compare them to see if they have any kind of pattern, and if what they present as has any effect on what kinds of people they like.”

“That’s pretty interesting,” Shiro smiled down at her, “Are you wanting to ask me my type?”

“Y-Yes,” Allura nodded, trying her best to pull off that shy persona, “You don’t have to, but…”

“It’s alright, princess,” Shiro assured her, giving her a quick pat on her tiny shoulder, “I’d love to contribute with your experiment.”

“Really?” Allura smiled, and she was glad that the little shy act, “Thank you, Shiro, I really appreciate it. Oh, one moment.” The women dug around in her purse for a moment before she pulled out a small notepad and a pen before she flipped a few pages in and awaited for Shiro to respond.

“My type of partner…” Shiro thought for a moment, hos index finger touching his chin gently as he thought, “I hate to admit this outloud, but… I like… how do I put this? I like people who are small.”

“Small?” Allura quirked a brow, “What do you mean by that?”

“You know… people who are smaller than me, more fragile. Someone not as strong, lanky…” Allura found herself grinning at the way Shiro blushed, bright enough to even be seen past his messy fur, “I-I also like people who are really invested in what they do. Not necessarily nerds, but people who adore what they do.”

“Anything else?” Allura asked as she wrote down what he said.

“No, not really,” Shiro shook his head, “I’m not one to judge people off looks. I don’t care much for them. I prefer to judge people based of who they are and the things they do.”

“That’s really sweet,” Allura commented before she went to write once again, “Doesn’t judge people for looks…” she mumbled, before she closed the notepad and gave Shiro a smile, “Thank you, Shiro.”

“Not a problem, princess,” Shiro nodded to her, “Is that all you needed?”

“Yes, that’s all,” Allura said, “I figured you would prefer that Keith or Lance didn’t hear that…”

“If Keith knew any of that, I might as well be prey that’s being given right to the predator,” Shiro sighed, “Keith likes to tease me about me getting a mate, says that I’m not getting any younger and that I need to settle down. Knowing him, if he got his hands on that, he’d use it for evil.”

Allura let out a small laugh at Shiro’s comment before she shook her head, “I’ll make sure to keep this safe.” She paused, “Shiro…?”

“Is something wrong?” Shiro looked a little worried at Allura’s concerned look.

“Would you ever want to settle down?” She suddenly asked, “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but… would you ever want to find that special someone to spend the rest of your life with? That someone who makes your entire life feel worth living, just because they’re in it?”

Shiro was quite for a moment, his face blank, before his eyes grew warm and his smile softened. He looked genuinely happy at the thought. “Yeah… I’d like that.”

Allura found herself questioning Shiro’s sudden change in mood at the thought of spending his life with someone special, someone he cared for and loved. She wasn’t sure if he was thinking about Keith, or if Shiro rather liked the idea of finding a mate to settle down with and spend time with. It was every Alpha’s dream to find the perfect Omega, and it made Allura worry if Keith was that perfect Omega he wanted to spend his life with.

She knew that if that were true, she would have to work fast. Lance knew the people around the castle like they were his family, which they practically were, and Allura knew that Lance would be the perfect one to find a match for Shiro. Lance wouldn’t even have to ask everyone their type because Allura knew that Lance most likely already had a solid idea of their type, and from past situations, she knew he’d be right.

“Well, thank you again for helping me,” Allura carefully placed the notepad and pen into her bag, “Would you like to see if we can catch up with Lance and Keith?”

“I-I’m sure they’re off on their way by now,” Shiro shrugged, “I think I’ll just head back to my room.”

“Oh, alright,” Allura nodded before she walked to the direction Keith and Lance were heading, before she turned to face Shiro once again, “I’ll see you at dinner, yes?”

Shiro smiled, giving the princess a wave goodbye, “I’ll be there.”

Allura returned the gesture with a bright smile, “See you then,” 

With that done and out of the way, Allura turned back around and walked down the hallway, with Shiro walking away in the opposite direction. A Allura turned down the hall, she found herself pulling the notepad out of her bag and reading over the notes she had taken about the kinds of things Shiro looks for in a mate.

_ —Small, lanky, fragile. Most likely a person that Shiro would want to love and protect, they’d be like a baby bunny while Shiro is a lion.  _

_ —Has a lot of passion for the things they love. Someone who is nerdy for their hobbies and or career. _

_ —Looks do not matter to Shiro. He likes people for personality. _

Allura let out a long sigh. Even if Shiro’s type wasn’t really that specific, it was still going to be difficult to find someone that Shiro will like and it was going to be even more hard for the matched person to even return Shiro’s feels, that is if he even develops feelings for them. What made it worse was that Keith fit this description nearly perfectly.

As much as Allura wanted to help her brother, it wasn’t going to be easy. There were so many things that could go wrong and all of their effort could be a complete waste. However, Allura couldn’t help but remember the way her baby brother looked when they talked the other day. 

She remembers the fear in Lance’s eyes as he spoke about what happened to Keith, but Allura also remembered how happy her brother looked when he talked about Keith. Allura knew that Lance’s feelings for Keith were genuine, that he truly cared about Keith. She knew in that moment that she needed to help him, even if there was so little she could do to help. 

Allura has never seen her brother like this, and would do anything to make sure he was happy.

With a long, exhausted sigh, Allura allowed herself to head back to her room, and awaited for the rest of the day until dinner later that evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!PLEASE READ!!!
> 
> Some info about releasing chapters:  
> I just wanted to say thank you guys for being paitent about updates. As I explained in the past, the reason updates are every other Friday instead of every friday is because, despite me writing extremely ahead before publishing, this fic is no where near done, which is saying a lot since I'm getting close to THIRTY CHAPTERS.
> 
> I started to update every other week because I just couldn't keep up with trying to stay ahead. I try to stay ten chapters ahead of what's pulished, meaning since this is chapter 13 (if we take out the small update I did), I would want in the process od writinh chapter 23 at the least. (Don't worry that's chapter has been done for a LONG time)
> 
> I do this so that I can maintain regular updates. I know that some of you want me to update a lot, but I just don't want to risk it. If I go back to updating once every week, updates may begin to slow down even longer than every two weeks because the chapters published vs the chapter I'm writing will catch up, and before you know it the next chapter needing to be published could be the one writing now.
> 
> You can say that "but your almost on chapter 30, right? You're way ahead compared to wanting to be writing chapter 23!"
> 
> And yeah, that's true, but again, I just don't want to risk it. I'd rather there be slower updates than quicker updates and forcing myself ro write more often and potentially having to update just whenever I finally finish writing. In the past when I did this, I always lost motivation to write, and I didn't like what I wrote becauss it felt too forced out.
> 
> That happens sometimes when I procrasting editing and rush through it, especially in chapters like the last one where I had to either take out things because they no lomger apply to the story, or overall add scenes to make things make more scene. Examples of this is how there are a lot of parts where they refer to Zarkon as Keith's "mother" or of him as a "she" because Krolia was originally going to be queen, or in last chapter where Lance and Keith just suddenly leave out of no where.
> 
> I hope you guys understand why I update the way I do a little more, especially those asking for more updates. And I thank you for going through that mess, and if you didn't? Well, okay then.
> 
>  
> 
> Social media  
> IG/Twitter/Tumblr:Thosespacegays  
> Tellonym: ThoseSpaceGays (just wanted to let you know that I post all of my responses on my Instagram story under my Tellonym highlight)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New fic name? :0  
> Yeh this'll probably be the offical name since "Meteor Shower" was a place ame since I'm lazy and uncreative.
> 
> anYWAYS, another early chapter because I'm lazy

(September 1st, 8:02pm…)

Dinner was ready to be served, and everyone was in their usual places. As normal, Lance and Keith sat to Alfor’s right, while Allura sat to his left with Shiro joining her in a seat next to her. Shiro had said that he was alright with eating dinner on his own time, and not with the royal family, but after convincing words from, well, everyone at the table, Shiro allowed himself to eat with them.

Lance and Allura, and Keith as well, had changed out of their casual clothes and went with their usual formal wear, with Allura’s signature dress with Lance’s matching top and pants. Keith, however, wore a simple button down with a galra-styled deep purple jacket and black pants. Usually, when they had meals together, Alfor preferred that they wore those clothes. They weren’t as casual as what they had worn earlier, but they still appeared formal enough for something as simple as dinner.

As a variety of different Alteans came out to serve everyone their food, Lance could help but look over at Allura, who he was facing from across the table. As their plates were set down in front of them, the princess noticed her brother’s gaze and gave him a quick nod, giving Lance some assurance and making him feel a little less nervous.

The nod meant that Allura got the information. Now Lance was just beyond curious as to what was on the paper. In their plan, Allura said that she would give the paper to them during dinner after reviewing it. When Lance asked Allura how she would be able to give him the paper without it looking suspicious, all she said was that Lance had to trust her and that he’ll know.

Lance found that explanation to be silly, and he didn’t know why Allura just wouldn’t tell him what she was going to do, or just have him meet in or room or even just text him the information, but she claimed he would know and Lance just had to trust that Allura knew what she was doing. Allura has proved several times in the past for that to be the case, so Lance would just have to trust her.

When everyone got their food, everyone began to eat in comfortable silence. It was like this for a few minutes before Shiro spoke up and started a small conversation with Keith. Lance found himself gripping his fork harder at they spoke. He didn’t hate Shiro, or hate that he was close with Keith, but Lance was still worried about whether or not the two of them would ever become something that was more than friends.

As rude it was, Lance chose to listen in on their conversation. Besides, it’s not like anyone couldn’t hear them. Lance was sitting right next to Keith so he’d have to be deaf if he wasn’t able to hear what they were saying. Trying to look as casual as possible, Lance allowed himself to pay attention to the conversation.

“Shiro, how has Haggar been?” Keith asked, causing Lance to question who this _Haggar_ was.

“She’s been doing good,” Shiro replied, “She misses having you around, you know.”

“If I may interrupt,” Allura looked over at Shiro, “But who is Haggar?”

“Oh, Haggar is Zarkon’s advisor,” Shiro said, turning to look down at Allura, “You could say that she raised Keith. Multiple nurses helped take care of Keith when he was young, but Haggar helped the most.”

“Raised Keith?” Lance blinked for a moment.

“Yeah,” Keith smiled down at his food, “She means a lot to me…”

“She must be a very good person,” Lance smiled at Keith. Even if Keith grew up with his mother gone, much like Lance did, he was glad that there was at least someone that was in Keith’s life that served as a mother figured. Lance would love to meet this Haggar someday.

The four of them talked for a little while, with Alfor occasionally jumping into the conversation with a few comments of his own. Everything seemed pretty normal for the most part, nothing specifically unusual happening throughout most of the time. Allura didn’t attempt to make any type of move that Lance would consider be her attempt to give him the paper.

When everyone began to eat in silence, Lance could tell that Allura was pulling through now. He noticed the way she played around with her fork, almost as though it were a conductor paton. After a few moments of her playing with it, Lance saw Allura jump slightly as the fork hit the hard floor and the sound ringed throughout the room.

Allura spoke up, looking worried, “Oh, I dropped my fork. I’ll get it.”

“Be more careful, Allura.” Alfor said to her.

As Allura went onto her knees to pick up the fork, which landed under the table, he heard the faint sound of crumpling paper and he felt his sister’s hand as she placed something to the tip of his toe on his shoe. Lance had to hold back the urge to shiver at the sudden touch. It felt a little awkward with the paper on to his foot, but he had to tolerate it for the time being.

Allura raised herself up with the fork in her hands, and an Altean came up to take the dirty fork and they came back with a clean one a few minutes later. Just like that, dinner continued like it was nothing. Other than Lance, no one seemed to question the incident and went back to eating without a second thought in mind. It was as though it didn’t happen.

Every now and then while Lance ate, he saw his sister glance up and her and give him a signal with her hand or head. Lance knew Allura was telling him to get the paper, but he didn’t really know how to without making things look suspicious. He knew that if he tried to do a ‘dropped something on floor’ shtick that everyone would start to feel a little suspicious over it.

So instead of doing anything about it, Lance just resumed with eating dinner. Everyone continued with their conversations casually and Lance was surprised that no one make any comment about how he was freaking out. Lance could feel his face heat up and he swore that it was as red as a tomato, or maybe ketchup in this instance since Lance felt like he was going to explode.

Keith seemed to notice this and turned to Lance with a worried look, “Lance, are you okay? You look a little… flustered.”

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Lance assured him, “Just a little warm,”

Lance could tell by the way Keith’s face looked that he didn’t believe it one bit. He just had the power to know when someone is lying, at least when it came to how they’re feeling. Regardless, Keith didn’t press for details and turned back to his plate to finish the last bits of food he had left, but he still seemed worried.

As everyone began to finish their food, Lance tried to come up with a plan as to what to do. He knew that he couldn’t leave the table without getting the paper, otherwise everyone would see it, so Lance had to come up with a way to get the paper without getting up from the table or causing suspicion from the others in the room. What could he do?

Lance thought for a moment, and then he remembered that he was wearing his boots. If he had his casual clothes on, he could easily have said that he needed to tie his shoes as everyone left. While his boot didn’t have laces on them, maybe he could say he was adjusting them, that they were a little loose and uncomfortable on them so he was fixing them. That was about the best bet Lance had, so he’d have to make do.

Once everyone finished their food, with Lance ironically being last, some more Alteans came up to take their plates and silverware. After they went into the kitchen to clean the plates, everyone was making their way out of the chairs to leave and entertain themselves with their own activities.

Alfor had stood up and let everyone know he had some work to do and he made his leave. Allura and Shiro stayed behind a bit and talked for awhile before they left, continuing their conversation from the hallways. Keith had went to get up and leave, but after taking some steps away from the chair, he stopped and turned around to look at Lance.

“Lance?” Keith turned his head over his shoulder to look at Lance before he completely turned around, “Aren’t you coming?”

“Yeah, one second, Keith. My boot is a little loose.” Lance said before he bent down to the boot’s level, “Just give me a second.”

Keith seemed to accept that answer and simply waited for Lance to finish what he was going. With a small grin, Lance turned back to his boot and looked down at the tip of his toe, which was covered by the long tablecloth. Happily, he picked up the note off the ground and quickly shoved it in his pocket before he actually messed around with his boot to make his statement believable.

Lifting himself up, Lance stood up from the chair and made his way over to Keith, who smiled when he came over to him, his ears shooting up. Lance found himself smiling too. He always loved seeing Keith smile, and it made Lance feel even happier when the smile was directed at him. His smile felt like something that was rare, and Lance was glad he got to see it often.

“Hey, Lance…” Keith’s voice turned low, and Lance noticed how Keith’s ears lowered a little.

“Yeah?” Lance tried to make it seem casual.

“Could we take a walk in the garden?” Keith asked.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Lance shrugged. “Why?”

“We’re not really going to do anything else anyways.” Keith shrugged, looking up at Lance, “So, why not? Besides…” Keith looked past Lance’s shoulders t look at the big doors that lead out to the huge balcony, “It looks nice out, and the sun is setting so we’ll be okay for a while. Even I like to get out every now and then.”

“Yeah, we can do that,” Lance smiled, “Follow my lead.”

With his ears up in joy, Keith began to follow next to Lance as they lead themselves to the back of the castle and out the back doors. The distance from the dining hall to the back of the castle only took a few minutes tp get there, since the dining hall is relatively close to the back side of the castle.

As they walked through the back doors, an arched walkway a short distance away from the doors was presented to them. It was make of brick and was only a few meters long before you entered the garden. The arch was covered in vines and flowers that infested it and two wooden benched sat on either side of the space within it. The entire garden was surrounded by a brick wall that had the same mess of vines around it, mostly in the inside.

The garden was originally a public place that could be visited almost every day and was run by a small group of Alteans, mostly by the people who take care of it. Lance was small during that time, so he doesn’t have any collective memories of it. He doesn’t know exactly why they closed it to the public, but they do open it sometimes during special events or holidays.

Lance always adored the garden and all the work they put into it. It was absolutely stunning with grey paths and trees, bushes and flowers of all kinds around it. There were plants from all four of the kingdoms and Lance found himself studying more about them and learning more about the geography of each kingdom.

One of the main reasons Lance has grown to love it more is because of the way Keith looks while in it, like a child in a candy store. While Lance knew of a few things Keith liked, it could never compare to his love for nature. It made sense for the most part. Even if Keith was a tough fighter and knew how to handle himself with a sword, he was also a bookworm, an _artist_. Keith painted nature more than anything and he always exaggerated every detail like every leaf on a tree was special.

As they walked around the paths, they found themselves walking along large and tall bushes with different kinds of flowers decorating them as large trees nearby lung over them. Lance recognized the pink Alteans flowers that Allura loved so much. There were groups of unique looking Olkari native flowers that looked like they were built rather than grown and even some Balmeran flowers that evolved to grow between cracks in the ground.

Lance had kept walking, admiring the flowers when he noticed that Keith wasn’t with him. Pausing, Lance turned around and saw that Keith was crouched down on his feet and was looking down at some flowers. However, Keith’s ears were flopped down and he had a worried look on his face. When Lance looked down to what Keith was looking at, it was a white and red striped carnation that had fallen of its stem.

Keith slowly moved his fingers so that he could pick it up by the stem with his thumb and middle finger, his index finger brushing against the petals as he stood up and held it below him. He looked less sad now and, if anything, looked like Keith was deep in thought, his gaze solely focused on the flower and seemed unaware of his surroundings.

Lance walked up to Keith and looked down at the flower with a small smile appearing, “You like carnations?”

Keith smiled, but never took his gaze off of the flower, “They’re my favorite, believe it or not. Red ones were always my favorite…”

“Red carnations…” Lance muttered, “Why red ones?”

“Well, I already like the color red,” Keith chuckled, “But… it’s also the meaning.”

“Meaning?”

“Carnations, overall, symbolize love, but the type of love the flower represents depends on the color.” Keith explained, “Red represents deep love and affection.”

“Woah,” Lance blinked at him, “You know a lot about flowers.”

“I had a lot of free time,” Keith shrugged, “Besides, I liked to study the meanings behind flowers when creating some of my paintings or drawings.”

“What about other colors?” Lance asked, leaning a little closer to look at the flower.

“White carnations represent pure love,” Keith gestured down to the other rows of carnations with his free hand, “Pink ones represent a mother’s love.”

“What about this one?” Lance asked, pointing to the striped carnation in Keith’s hand.

“Striped carnations…” Keith trailed off and turned silent.

Lance noticed the way Keith’s ears moved down slightly, but would move back up to their original position each time. Keith’s face saddened a little, but Lance could tell that Keith was trying his best to not show it. He traced a fee of the petals with his index finger in a random pattern and he didn’t speak, keeping quiet and refusing to answer Lance’s question.

Frowning, Lance found himself worrying about Keith. What was it about the meaning behind striped carnations that upset Keith so much? Lance could only assume it meant something bad, or maybe a simple meaning that personally affects Keith. He knows that he’s had a rough life, so it could be possible. Lance decided not to pry.

Lance shook his head before turning to some other flowers around them, “What about daisies?”

Keith blinked in surprised for a moment before he turned to Lance, flower in hand, “Daisies symbolise purity and innocence. Sometimes, it symbolises childbirth or motherhood, which is why new parents often receive daisies as gifts.”

“Really?” Lance grinned.

For the next half hour, Keith explained the meaning and symbolism behind different kinds of plants and flowers. Lance would happily point to a group of flowers and Keith would throw facts at him like it was nothing. Lance never expected Keith to know so much about the meanings behind different plants. He had a feeling Keith liked nature, but like is a complete understatement.

They would wander through the garden, admiring all the hard work and effort put into it and how beautiful every piece of it was. It wasn’t until the sun was almost completely set that the two boys realized how late it was, and that they should get back inside before it gets too dark. It was already pretty late when they went outside, and they didn’t even want to imagine what time it was now.

As they made their way back to the front of the garden, Lance looked back over at the carnations they were at earlier. He found himself stopping in his tracks when he noticed the carnation Keith had earlier. It was placed exactly the way it was found, laid on its side next to the stem I was broken off from. Carnations already had pretty long stems, so a good chunk of it was cut off with the flower.

Keith seemed to like the flower, so Lance didn’t know why he left it there. He may prefer red ones, but it was still a carnation nonetheless. Maybe Keith would like to have it? The stem looked long enough to be placed in a pot. They could keep it on the nightstand, or maybe on the dresser. Either way, it would be nice to have the flower in their room.

“Lance?” Keith turned around when he noticed Lance was gone, and he saw him pick up the flower as Lance approached Keith.

He found himself smiling as Keith looked up at him with innocent, curious eyes. His eyes always spoke with so much emotion without even trying. His large, deep violet irises were beautiful beyond compare, and Lance wished he could gaze into them for hours. Keith was, to put it in simple terms, gorgeous and Lance didn’t even know how that was possible.

Lance eyed the flower in his hand for a moment, before a slight smirk appeared on his lips. Lifting the flower up, Lance moved his hand so that he could placed the flower so that it sat on top of Keith ears. The boy’s eyes widen and he stared at Lance in shock, causing Lance to smile as his hand hovered over Keith’s ear.

“Lance?” He looked at him, blushing so vibrantly that it covered the tips of his fluffy ears.

“It’s a pretty flower, don’t you think?” Lance found himself chuckling before he moved his hand back, “It looks nice on you.”

The flustered look, the bright blush, and the faint dark colors of the almost consumed sunset highlighting Keith’s face made him all the more beautiful. Lance wished he could hold him, kiss him and tell him exactly how he feels without holding himself back with plain phrases like “it looks nice on you”. Lance wanted to tell Keith exactly how beautiful he is, and how whenever he looks at him, Lance can’t help but fall for him more.

He could, Lance knew he could, but fear took him over every time. One of Lance’s biggest fears was rejection. It didn’t matter who it was, if he was rejected, no matter what the circumstances, Lance couldn’t handle it. The thought of not being good enough, the idea that you didn’t try hard enough, that no matter what you did, you’d always be shut off from others… Lance hated that.

If Lance got rejected by Keith, he didn’t know what he’d do. The idea of Keith having to say he’s sorry, that he doesn’t feel the same way, or that he had feelings for Shiro… Lance didn’t even want to think about Keith walking away, all the times they spent together and the friendship they built was destroyed by some simple words. Lance would rather leave things like this. He would rather never be able to be with Keith if it meant he could still be in his life.

“Lance, are you okay?” Keith’s soft, concerned voice woke Lance up from his terrible thoughts, “You don’t look too good.”

“Sorry,” Seeing Keith always assured Lance that he was still here, that he could still have him in his life, “I guess I spaced out a bit.”

“Are you sure?” Keith pressed, “You don’t have to lie to me,”

Lance found himself smiling more at Keith’s persistence, “You worry too much sometimes. I promise I’m okay.”

“I know,” Keith crosses his arms. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he kept quiet, “Come on, let’s get inside before it gets too dark.”

Keith took the lead as the two of them made their way back into the castle. Two guards that occupied the door they went through opened the door for them, and told them to not stay out too late next time. After walking in the halls for a few minutes, the two boys made it back to their rooms so that they could settle down for the night.

As Lance walked over to his dresser to get himself some more comfortable clothes, he found himself glancing behind his shoulder and seeing Keith holding the carnation in his hands again. He hadn’t removed it when Lance had put it behind his ear and kept it like that until they got back to the room. Seeing Keith smiling at the flower caused Lance to blush a bit before he turned back to his drawer to pick out some clothes.

After changing out of his shirt and simply wearing some plain blue pajama pants, he walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it on Keith’s side. He looked up at him and saw the boy holding a small glass flower pot filled with water. He placed the single carnation into the pot and set it on the nightstand with a small smile.

“It looks pretty,” Lance smiled.

“Yeah,” Keith replied, before he turned over to Lance, “We should put flowers in here more often.”

“I have an old friend who owns a cute little flower shop in the capital,” Lance told him, “I could always go out and buy some more.”

“Do you usually go into the city often?” Keith asked, sitting down next to Lance on the bed, “I mean— When I went outside, I never really went into town, but are you able to just casually walk around like it’s nothing?”

“Well, not exactly,” Lance shrugged, “I can’t exactly waltz around in public like it’s nothing. I either have to have some kind of security with me or I go out in disguise.”

“Disguise?” Keith blinked at him.

“Yeah,” Lance pointed towards the wardrobe, “I have plenty of casual clothes to wear. I usually wear hoodies so that no one would recognize my face. Though I don’t go out as often as I’d like.”

“Is King Alfor really okay with you going out by yourself?” Keith asked.

“Of course not,” Lance laughed, “It’s called sneaking out.”

“Sneaking out?” Keith looked at him, “With all the security around the castle? Or any castle for that matter?”

“I’ve done it so many times.” Lance smirked, “I learned the security routes like the it's the alphabet, so I know how to get out. Believe it or not, it’s easier to get out during the day. Since the guards expect me to be around, getting past isn’t too hard.”

“Huh,” Keith thought for a moment, “I never thought of doing that. After I presented, my dad bumped the security up so much that we had to recruit more soldiers. So even if I wanted to get out, I wouldn’t get three feet out of the castle.”

“So why don’t we go out?” Lance turned to Keith.

“Go out? Like out into the city?” Keith blinked at him rapidly, looking completely shocked, “A-Are you serious?”

“Sure. Why not?” Lance shrugged, “I can get everything ready by the saturday next week… the fifteenth, right?”

“Are you sure?” Keith looked uneasy, “Won’t we get in trouble?”

“I’ve snuck out several times and not once has anyone caught me,” Lance pressed against Keith’s side and threw an arm around his shoulder with a smirk, “Come on. I think you deserve some time out.” Lance frowned a bit, and his voice turned soft, “You’ve spent your life isolated from the world. I’ll take you out and I can show you the best time of your life. Okay?”

Keith blinked at him for a moment, eyes wide before his smiled, his eyes warm as he spoke in a soft voice, “Okay.”

“Really?” Lance grinned.

“Yeah,” Keith turned towards him, “Let’s go out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao forgot to mention striped carnation symbolize refusal of love or a love that isn’t returned :) 
> 
> Social media  
> IG / Tumblr: Thosespacegays  
> Tellonym: Thosespacegays


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is being posted pretty late I had to do stuff rigjt atter school and got home pretty late
> 
> ANYWAYS  
> !!Please read the notes at the end of this chapter!!  
> It's really important and can help contribute to the fic  
> But other than that enjoy the new chapter!

(September 3rd, 9:11am…)

Breakfast had been served and everyone enjoyed their meal happily like it was the first time they’ve eaten in weeks. Keith would never get over how amazing the food was, especially breakfast food. However, that morning, food was the last thing on Keith’s mind. Even if he tried not to think about it, his plans with Lance kept flooding his mind.

Lance had explained that sometime after breakfast, he’d sneak them out and they’d spend the entire day together out in the city. The city around the castle is known as the capital, and is the most well-known and most popular tourist place in the Altean kingdom. Lance said that the capital can get very busy over the weekend, but he assured Keith that he’ll take care of everything.

Keith was really curious about what the capital was like. He only saw it briefly when they went through it when he first arrived here. The traffic at the time wasn’t as bad as Lance said it was, but Keith came here on a weekday, so he wasn’t sure how busy it would be over the weekend, especially on a saturday.

Keith was never one to like to go out for fun. He felt pretty nervous about it, but if Lance knew what he was doing, Keith would just have to trust him. Then again, this is Lance he’s talking about, so who knows what could happen.

Right now, everyone was wrapping up eating and maids began to come into the dining hall to collect everyone’s plates and silverware, as well as cleaning up any messes that were left. Everyone was about to get up to leave, but Alfor had spoken up before anyone would leave.

“Oh, before you go, I have an announcement!” Alfor gestured for everyone to sit back down, and like mindless slaves, they all took their seats.

“Is something wrong?” Keith looked at Alfor.

“Oh, nothing is wrong, my dear Keith,” Alfor smiled, “The other day, I had received an invitation from Thace and Ulaz”

“Thace and Ulaz?” Lance’s eyes widen.

“I’ve heard of them, but not a lot.” Keith looked over at Lance, “As far as I know, they’re two of the most well-known and successful businessmen in the Galra kingdom.”

“Yes,” Shiro joined in, “Thace and Ulaz are two Galra businessmen who left the Galra kingdom after the war started. They current live in the Altean kingdom, but their business spreads across all four of the kingdoms. The two of them are actually married.”

“What kind of business do they manage?” Keith asked.

“They mainly focus on medical facilities.” Lance replied, “You know, like doctor clinics, hospitals. Things like that.”

“What was the invitation for?” Allura asked.

“It’s for a ball their family is hosting.” Alfor explained, “It’s to celebrate twenty years of being in business. They only invited me, Allura and Lance, but they said we could each bring one guest if we wish.” He looked over at Keith and Shiro, “If you two would like to come, than you’re more than happy to.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” Shiro smiled, “We’d love to go.”

“A ball?” Keith paused, looking down at his lap, “I’ve never been to one.”

Lance looked over at Keith like he was mad, “Really? Never? Not even one?”

Keith shook his head, looking up at Lance, “Well, I was never allowed to go to any as a child. By the time I reached an appropriate age to go to one, I presented, so I was forbidden from going to any unless strictly necessary.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you the ropes,” Lance smiled, before he lowered his voice into a whisper so only Keith could hear, “And I’ll show you a good time this saturday.”

Keith found himself shuttering a little at Lance’s words. He knew that Lance meant well, but the way he breathed against his ear and the way he spoke made Keith’s cheeks light up. Keith just wished that Lance would have mercy on him, even if Lance was completely unaware of what he was doing to him.

“When’s the ball?” Allura asked.

“It’s not until the end of October,” Alfor replied, “The twenty-sixth, to be exact.”

“This’ll be fun,” Lance grinned, “Can’t wait.”

The group eventually turned into excited chatter about the event. Even if it wasn't for another month, they were all still excited about the event. Keith wasn’t really sure how to feel about it. He’s never been to any kind of events like that before. All he’s heard about these business parties or balls they host was from Lotor coming to tell him about them.

Lotor says that casual business parties were really boring. While they did serve alcohol, it was one of those kinds of parties, as Lotor likes to describe it was, where everyone is standing around talking to each other about how rich they are. Balls sounded more exciting. Lotor told him about how people were always lively and dancing around, actually enjoying their time together.

Just hearing everyone’s excited chatter around the table made Keith look forward to the event. While Allura, Shiro, and Alfor were busy chatting away, Lance looked over at Keith and elbowed him slightly. He blinked at Lance before the boy whispered to him.

“You all done?” Lance asked

“Yeah, I’m done,” Keith nodded.

Lance stood up from his seat with a small smile as he looked over at his father, “May we be excused, father?”

“Yes, go ahead,” Alfor nodded, “I must get back to work, sadly, so all of you are excused.”

After Alfor finished speaking, Lance grabbed Keith’s hand and proceeded to lift Keith up to drag him across the dining hall. While it was slightly uncomfortable, all Keith could think about was their clasped hands. He knew he was overthinking at this point, but Keith thought that Lance could’ve just grabbed his arm, or even his wrist, but he chose his hand instead. Keith will at least take that.

They didn’t even get too far anyways. Lance halted to a stop when Allura had called Lance over, “Lance! I need to tell you something!”

Lance pouted for a moment, but he sighed and shook his head before he turned over to Keith, hand still tightly grasped with his, “I’ll be right back.”

The warm hand slipped out of Keith’s for a moment and he found himself frowning. When Lance walked over to Allura, they spoke in hushed whispers. Even with Keith’s excellent hearing, he could barely make out the words that were coming out of the sibling’s mouths. He tried pointing them towards the two, and even stepping closer, but he could only hear one phrase spoken by Allura.

“Let’s talk in the hallway.”

She glanced Keith’s way when she said that and quickly dragged Lance out into the hallway to talk without prying eyes. That only made Keith more curious about what those two were up to. Keith could faintly remember how Lotor would do such things with him when he was little. It mostly was about Keith having to keep secrets or them hiding their father’s things in his room.

Keith decided not to pry, at least not yet. It was probably just some silly sibling scheme the two were up to. If they didn’t want Keith to get involved, he wouldn’t bother with it unless it actually had something to do. But he was still curious.

What were those two talking about?

-

(9:21am…)

“So?” Allura asked, almost immediately after they stepped out in the hallway.

“So what?” Lance shot back.

“Did you look at the paper?” Allura looked at him, throwing a hand on her right hip.

“Yes, briefly before we left for breakfast.” Lance sighed, reaching deep into his pant pocket to pull out the folded paper. At this point, it’s been folded so many times that it just stays like that, even if it’s laid out flat.

“So, what do you suggest we do?” Allura asked him, quirking a brow up, “This is where your efforts of this plan come in.”

“Well, I haven’t had much time to think about it yet,” Lance defended, “I have a few ideas in mind, but I’m not sure yet.”

Allura looked at him, “Then why don’t you tell me who?”

“Look, I’m still not sure,” Lance sighed, shaking his head, “I need a little more than ten minutes to think this over.”

Allura sighed, “Then tell me what you have in mind?” 

Lance reached his hand into his right pocket and pulled out the little folded piece of paper and unwrapped it, looking over at the notes Allura wrote down, “Okay, but can you tell me why you couldn’t just tell me what Shiro’s type was? Or even texted me?”

“You know how father is when it comes to our phones,” Allura shook her head, “He checks them every week. What would he think if he saw those text messages?”

“Yes, but why couldn’t you just tell me?” Lance asked.

“Three reasons,” Allura gave him a look, “One: anyone could hear us and the last thing either one of us want to do is to explain that to anyone. Two: You would totally forget and don’t fight me on this.”

“I wouldn’t,” Lance sighed, shaking his head, “And the third reason?”

“I felt like spicing it up a little,” Allura simply shrugged, “If I’m going to be apart of this, I might as well make it more fun for myself.”

“I should have known better.” Lance groaned.

“Anyways,” Allura changed the subject, “Who do you think would be a good match?”

“If I’m being honest…” Lance looked nervous for a moment, looking unsure. Was his suggestion really the best option? Of course, Lance found himself being an amazing wingman, and if Shiro wasn’t the most flaming homosexual to ever exist and if he wasn’t a protective brother, Lance would’ve set him up with Allura. 

He thought about it over dinner and Lance came down to two potential options: Matt or Adam. They both were pretty small and Lance could easily carry them around like it’s nothing if he really wanted to. Matt was smaller and also loved everything he does in his life, but Matt recently started to hang out with this one girl and he was positive they were going to date. Other than that, Matt is a beta, so if Shiro really wanted a life with a mate and children, Matt couldn’t provide that.

Now Adam on the other hand, he was different. He wasn’t as small as Matt, if anything, he was maybe a little shorter than Shiro. However, Adam was an Omega and was never good with hitting on people, or at least never confident or motivated enough to find a mate. Adam took his work seriously, but still took time for friends and family every now and then. If not Matt, than Adam would be good enough.

“Lance?” Allura waved a hand in front of his face, “Are you going to speak? I don’t have the ability to read minds, Lance.”

“Okay,” Lance took a deep breath, “I’m completely unsure about this but… what about Adam?”

Allura gave him a look, but not from disgust, but from confusion, “Adam? He’s one of the mechanics that work with Matt and his father, right?”

“Yeah,” Lance nodded, “Since Matt is hitting it off with that one girl now, and those two seem pretty crazy for each other, I figured Adam would be our best bet.”

“You’re not wrong,” Allura shrugged, “Adam may not be as small as Matt, but he’s as passionate about his work as Matt is. And he’s pretty attractive on his own. If hot twinks are what you like.”

“Which is what Shiro likes,” Lance smirked. 

“When should we introduce them?” Allura asked.

“Wait, are you sure you want him to be with Adam?” Lance suddenly asked, “We need to be certain, positive Adam is a good match. One mess up and this whole thing could go tumbling downhill.”

“Lance,” Allura frowned, “Don’t doubt yourself. Adam is a kind man and he would make an excellent mate. And if not a mate, I’m sure he and Shiro would make great friends.

“Alright… them how about tomorrow afternoon?” Lance suggested, “Me and Keith can ask Shiro to hang out with us and I can make the whole introducing thing casual.”

“Speaking of Keith…” Allura looked up at Lance, but instead of a smirk, it was a concerned look, “How have it been?”

“I manage,” Lance sighed, “I can barely look at him without thinking about how amazing he is. But at the same time, I could never gain the confidence to tell him how I feel.”

“How hard can it be?” asked Allura, “Can’t you just go up to him and say ‘I like you’ to him?”

“Easier said than done,” replied Lance, “I’m just so scared of what might happen if I told him… he could reject me, or hate me, or never want to speak with me ever again! I’d much rather keep him in my life without ever telling him, rather than telling him and he leaves me in the dust.”

“Lance,” Allura’s voice turned soft as she stepped closer to her brother, “You know Keith would never do that to you,” She placed a hand on his shoulder, “Keith loves spending time with you. I’ve never seen him any happier than he is when he’s with you.”

“What if he doesn’t feel the same way?” Lance asked, showing a large frown.

“That’s just life, Lance.” Allura sighed, “And sometimes you just have to accept that. But I really believe Keith likes you. He’s always so vibrant and happy whenever he’s with you and when you enter the room, it’s like he becomes a whole new person.” She looks up at him, “He loves being with you.”

“Just because he may like being with me, doesn’t mean that he feels the same way.” Lance looked away.

“Even if Keith didn’t feel the same way, you could at least walk away knowing you gained the confidence to try.” Allura spoke up, doing her best to assure her brother. She paused for a moment, before a slight smile appeared on her lips, “You know what? I have an idea.”

“What?” Lance looked at her.

“Why don’t you set a date and tell him on that day?” Allura suggested in a gentle voice, “It doesn’t have to be anytime soon if you don’t want to. You could just go up and tell him and if you really want to, you guys can go and do something cute together and tell him there.”

Lance was quiet for a moment before he glanced over at Allura, “I-I do have plans with Keith next saturday…”

“See? That’s perfect.” Allura smiled, “Tell him when you two are alone together. And if you don’t want to do it that soon, than you don’t have to.”

“No…” Lance shook his head, “I should. Now or never, I guess.”

“Good.” Allura smiled before she pulled her brother into a hug, “I’m proud of you, you know…”

“Yeah, I know…” Lance smiled and hugged her back, burying his face into the side of her head, “Thanks…”

“No problem.” 

Their hug lasted for a minute. Lance always felt comfortable around his older sister. The two of them already had a lot in common, as well as a troublemaking personality. His sister was always there when he needed her, whether their father yelled at him or just because he needed some support. She was always there, and always will be.

When they pulled back, the siblings smiled at each other, but it didn’t last for as long as Lance expected before the women’s fond smile turned into a wicked smirk. Lance knew exactly what was to be expected and in no way did he like it.

“However… what are these plans of yours?” Allura snickered

“Ah, so the real Allura has returned,” Lance joked sarcastically, rolling his eyes at his sister’s tone.

“Come on!” Allura begged, jumping up on her toes slightly, “I need some more gossip around here. After this whole wingman thing went into play, I need more!”

“Oh, great.” Lance groaned, “I’m not telling you.”   
  
“Why not?” Allura pouted, “I’m your big sister, so I deserve to know what kind of trouble my baby brother and his little crush are up to.”   
  
“You're so nosy I could’ve sworn you were my  _ little _ sister.” Lance sighed, planting his fingers on the space between his eyebrows, “Look, I’ll tell you. But on one condition.”   
  
“Oh no,” Allura groaned, “There’s always a catch.”   
  
“If I tell you,” Lance stepped closer to his sister and looked down at her, “You have to cover for us.”   
  
“What in Altea’s name are you two doing?” Allura blinked at him in shock.   
  
“Do you promise to cover for us?” Lance repeated to her.   
  
The princess looked unsure for a moment, her eyes filled with worry. She let out a long sigh before she nodded and looked up at Lance, “Alright, I promise. Not what are you two planning on doing?”   
  
Lance looked around the hallway for a minute, making sure no one was nearby to hear him, which only made Allura more worried. When he didn’t see anyone nearby, Lance bent down slightly so that he could whisper into Allura’s ear, “I’m sneaking out with Keith.”   
  
Allura’s brows furrowed in anger when her brother moved back up, “Again, Lance? Why? I don’t see why you just can’t have the chauffeur drive you and Keith around. As long as some security is with you, you can go wherever you want!”   
  
“That’s the problem,” Lance sighed, “I don’t want to be see with some fancy limousine. I can’t even walk down the street without people staring at me like god himself is walking on Earth. And besides,” Lance’s tone changed from annoyed to concern, “Father hasn’t made the arrangement with me and Keith a public thing yet. If I’m see driving around the city with Keith, people are going to get suspicious and rumors will spread like a wildfire.”   
  


“That, and…” Lance looked down at her, “I’d rather be alone when I tell Keith. I don’t want some stupid security up my ass.”

“You have a point, but,” Allura gave him an unimpressed look, “How is the two of you sneaking out of the castle and waltzing around the city going to be any different?”   
  
“You know exactly how.” Lance looked at her, “Hoodies? Casual clothes? Maybe even style my hair differently? We’ll keep our faces hidden and we won’t be making a huge scene. We’ll look cool, casual. Does showing up to any place in a limousine sound casual to you?”   
  
Allura let out a long, impatient sigh. Lance could tell that Allura was losing her patience. However, Lance knew that sigh all too well. It’s the sigh Allura makes when she’s given up. “Alright. I’ll cover for you.”   
  
“Thank you, ‘Lura!” Lance jumped up to hug his sister. Even if she was upset with him, the women gave him a big hug back.   
  
“You guys are going next saturday on the fifteenth, right?” Allura asked as they pulled away, “When do you plan on leaving and how long will you be gone?”

“I’m thinking of leaving before lunch,” Lance said, “I haven’t planned everything out yet, but I’m for sure taking him to Plaxum’s little bakery for lunch. I can’t say for sure what time, but sometime after sunset.”

“So will you two make it to dinner?” Allura asked, “I’ll be able to cover you for lunch and for most of the day, but I can know for sure after dinner.”

“I’ll try,” Lance sighed, “But I can’t know for sure. I have something very special I’m going to try to plan around sunset.”

“I may be able to cover for you during dinner, but I cannot say for sure,” Allura replied, “Father may get suspicious if you’re not there for dinner. But, depending on what this special thing is, I can guarantee it. ”

“I’ll do what I can,” Lance smiled at his sister, a true, genuine smile, “If I’m able to do what I want to do at sunset, I… I plan on telling Keith how I feel then. I just can’t think of a better time to do so. And I’m not telling you.”

“Why not?” Allura pouted, crossing her arms across her chest, “I don’t see why you can’t tell me. I’m good at keeping secrets.”

“I know, but I really don’t want to take any risks,” Lance replied, “I’m only telling a small minimum of people who are involved.”

“Involved?” Allura blinked at him, “What are we, a spy team?”

“Lance?” They heard a voice coming from one of the dining hall doors.

Behind Allura stood Keith, who was peeking out from the door curiously, but not completely stepping out into the hallway. His furry ears were up in curiosity and he kept his eyes on the two siblings, blinking at them a few times. Lance loved it when he did that because, as Lance likes to call it, it’s his “innocent curiosity” look and it's cuter than a baby rabbit.

“Oh, sorry Keith,” Lance smiled and jogged over to Keith, causing the Galra to smile a little too, “Guess we got a little carried away in our conversation. Sorry for making you wait so long.”

“It’s alright,” Keith shrugged, letting himself step completely out in the hallway to stand in front of Lance, “I wasn’t waiting for too long.”

“You sure?” Lance asked again, a slightly worried look crossing his face, “We were out here for over five minutes. I didn’t mean to leave you in there for that long.”

“Lance,” Keith pouted slightly, “It’s fine. Are you two done talking? I can wait.”

“No, it’s fine,” Lance assured him with a smile. He looked over at Allura and spoke up, shouting slightly so his sister could hear, “I’ll see you later, sis!”

The women simply waved to Lance, acknowledging that she heard him and she allowed herself to turn around to leave. As the woman made her leave, Lance found himself frowning slightly, his worries coming back again. He knew that his sister had confidence that everything would go smoothly, with both setting Shiro up and his confession, but many lingering thoughts still plagued his mind.

What if Shiro and Adam don’t like each other? Maybe Shiro was too dedicated to Keith to want to find someone else, that is if he did like Keith, which seemed pretty believable at this point. What if Shiro liked Adam, but Adam didn’t feel the same way? Or maybe even the other way around? 

What if Shiro confessed to Keith before Lance did? Keith could easily feel the same way, and then Lance would lose him. Even if Lane did confess, Keith would probably say he didn’t feel the same. Things between them would be ruined. Keith would never want to speak with him again… Keith will hate him. He’ll think he’s  _ disgusting _ . He’ll—

“Lance?” Keith’s worried voice snapped Lance out of his state of mind. 

When Lance looked over at Keith, he looked genuinely worried. His ears were flopped down and his violet eyes were staring deep into blue ones. It took a moment for Lance to notice, but Lance looked down and saw that Keith was tightly gripping his arm in his hand. Every now and then, he’d give a tight squeeze, as if he was assuring him with each tight grip.

“Keith…” Lance trailed off when he looked up at Keith once again. He looked so… upset, concerned. It only made Lance frown more.

“Are you okay…?” Keith spoke in the most gentle voice Lance has ever heard, “You look really upset… are you sure you don’t mind me interrupting you two?”

Lance found himself smiling fondly at Keith. Keith… this absolutely adorable fool. Lance didn’t even know anyone could fall for someone this badly. Every little thing Keith did or say made Lance like him even more. He wished he could tell Keith now… but he knew he couldn’t, no matter how badly he wanted to.

Reaching out with his empty hand, Lance patted the top of Keith’s head, causing the Galra to quirk his brow, one of his ears shooting up in confusion. Lance would never get over that look, or rather any look Keith gave him. If this is a reality where Lance could never be with Keith, at least he could cherish these moments with him, no matter how small.

“I’m not upset with you,” Lance said softly, “I just have a bit on my mind, that’s all. I’m sorry for making you feel guilty.”

“Are you okay?” Keith asked again, giving his arm another tight squeeze, “You can talk to me about, well, whatever is bothering you. I’ll listen.”

Lance found himself smiling wider. Hearing Keith say these things always made his heart flutter with joy. It made Lance feel like that maybe he had a chance, that maybe Keith felt the same way. Lance tried not to keep his hopes up too much, but hearing Keith say that made Lance feel like crying.

“Hey, I’m okay,” Lance assured him with another rub on his head, “Thank you, though. I’ll let you know if I feel like talking.”

“You’re not alone, you know…” Keith smiled, “I’m here for you…”

After those words, Lance and Keith moved away from each other and continued down the hallway to their room. Even as they walked, occasional conversations spilling in between them, there was only one thing that filled Lance’s mind, even as they made their way into their bedroom.

_ I’m here for you… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest here: my inspiratin has been at an all time low  
> Not really for writing, but for coming up with ideas. I have a HUGE arc of this fic planned, but as of the time the story is being written at now, I can't get started on it.  
> Basically, I want the story to be at a certain time of the year so it can all fit together.  
> Currently, I'm writing a kind of Christmas/New Years special, and I want the huge arc to begin around March/April  
> So, I've been creating mini plots to try and get it to that point, but the problem is that I haven't been able to come up with a lot of good ideas, and they're usually rushed, causing chapters to become shorter or for the whole thing to look as though it never even happened or didn't matter.  
> I'd love it if you could give me a few suggestions on small things for Keith, Lance, and the others to do, nothing huge, just little things that could happen around the castle, or even like a small side plot like I'm doing with Shiro and Adam  
> It would really help make the flow between one main even to the next more smooth and not forced  
> And of course, if I use your idea, I will mention you in the notes of the respective chapter it is in
> 
> Thanks for reading this and this fic! I don't think I can express how happy I am of the attention this mess of a fic has had!
> 
> Social media  
> Instagram / Tumblr / Twitter / Tellonym: thosespacegays


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHICH DUMB THOTTIE FORGOT TO UPDATE I APOLOGY
> 
> Lmao I never realized how long this chapter was at least you get a 10,000+ word chapter

(September 5th, 2:27pm…)

As they walked down the hallway, Keith found himself smiling as Lance and Shiro spoke with each other. He was glad that the two were starting to become better friends. Keith was afraid that the two wouldn’t get along well, or maybe even hate each other. Then again, Keith has know Shiro for almost ten years now, and that man was the nicest person anyone could ever meet. They’d have to be a fool if they didn’t think Shiro was kind.

Keith was also relieved that Shiro approved the idea of him and Lance being a couple. Even if them becoming mates is an entirely arranged thing, Shiro still thinks that Lance is very sweet and would help Keith get out of his shell, while also giving him time for himself. Getting an approval from Shiro was no different than getting one from their own father. Keith is still surprised that Shiro hasn’t attempted to find a mate and have children. He already treated Keith like he was his own child, so why not do it with your own flesh and blood?

That didn’t really matter much at this time. Right now, they were on their way down to the garage. Lance had explained that it the place was like a parking garage, but only had half the parking. He also explained that it was where they kept all the cars, including the cars of employees that don’t live at the castle, or if they have to go anywhere. When Keith asked why he was taking them there, he said he wanted to introduce him to someone. When asked why Shiro had to come with them, he simply said he wanted Shiro to make more friends with people around the castle so that “he wasn’t lonely”.

Even if they were introducing them to some more people, why the parking garage? According to Lance, part of the parking garage is a little shop where mechanics work in case one of the castle’s cars broke down or if an employee here needed a mechanic. So, all Keith knew about these people was that they were mechanics that worked at the castle. Lance claimed that they were great people, but as anyone would, Keith was still crazy curious about who these people were.

“Hey, Lance,” Shiro suddenly asked as he walked on Lance’s left side, “Who are these people that you want us to meet so badly?”

Lance turned his gaze up towards the taller Alpha with a wide smile plastered across his face, “They’re three of the mechanics that work here. We have plenty of them, but these three work together and are unstoppable trio. They’re really good friends and well… I guess I just wanted you to meet them.”

“Can you tell us more about them?” Keith asked, “You’ve been so secretive about who these people are I could have sworn you were hiding something from me.”

The Altean let out a hearty laugh as he turned his gaze towards Keith, “Yeah, I’m totally not a sociopath that luring you to my basement so that me and my killer buddies can finish you off.”

Shiro looked up at the ceiling, pretending to think about his life choices, “Keith was right: I  _ am _ going to die alone.”

The three of them laughed loudly as they made their way to some large metal double doors. The doors completely stood out against the elegant interior decor of the castle. Like Lance was joking about earlier, it almost looked like a cellar door that lead into a basement. The only thing that made it fit in slightly was the fact that the doors were painted a deep brown so that it matched with the rest of the doors around the castle. 

Lance walked over to the doors and opened them like it was nothing. Keith knew that it was probably nothing, but there was something about this kind of door being in a castle that sent shivers up Keith’s spine. The door lead into a very short hallway that was brightly lit with wall lamps after Lance flicked on a light switch. The end of the hallway lead down to some half landing stairs that seemed to go on for a while. At least the hallway didn’t look creepy.

Keith followed behind Lance and Shiro as they went down several flights of stairs. The floor was bright red, as well as the stairs, and the walls shifted colors so that they were a deep brown. Lights filled the walls as they continued down the stairs, not one inch of the room ever being dark. It was like turning on a lamp in a small room after being in the dark so long, so it was incredibly bright.

After what felt like eons, they finally reached the door. However, it wasn’t even at the bottom of the stairs. It was a set of double doors, much like the one upstairs, that was against one of the walls where a flat surface stood. The stairs seemed to keep going down for a while, and Keith didn’t want to know what kind of things are down there.

Opening one of the doors, Lance lead the two of them into the room. Like Lance had described, it looked exactly like any ordinary parking garage. The floor they were on had a variety of cars in the parking spaces. On the far side of the room, the roads would dip down on one end, and up on the other, most likely revealing more parking spaces. Keith had half expected it to look at least a little more fancier than an ordinary parking garage. Well, then again, how can someone make one of these fancy?

Lance lead the two boys across to the other side of the parking garage. Keith didn’t really see a lot of cars or Alteans nearby. He maybe saw one employee who looked like they were walking to their car with a small bag of stuff. The place was completely silent other than the clicking of their shoes against the hard floor. Keith figured since it was such a large castle that the employees would have a wide variety of shifts, or there would at least be a small handful of people entering or leaving. 

When they reached the end of the room, Keith realized something strange about this corner of the room. There were other rooms attached to the parking garage. It didn’t seem completely obvious at first glance, but with another look, there was a large red door closer to the corner, and a tall, grey garage door not too far from the door’s right. The garage door was up and when they got closer to it, Keith realized what this was.

The castle had a car shop right in it’s parking garage. In the garage was a single red car with someone underneath it, working on the car. There was one other person, someone much taller, that was near the back end of the garage that looked like a workbench. A small door to the side lead into another room that Keith could only assume was an office of some kind.

When Lance came close, he walked into the place like he lived there, “Matt! Mr. Holt! I brought some new friends!”

The one over by the workbench lifted his head up to reveal himself. Immediately, the man grinned and made his way over to the front of the garage, “Lance! It’s about time you paid us a visit.”

Keith quirked his brow curiously at the Altean. The man had greying hair with faint signs of what used to be light brown hair. A light beard decorated his face with square glasses that were pushed up against his small nose, hiding his small brown eyes. He was a little bit taller than Lance, but he didn’t appear as muscular as Lance did. A beta perhaps. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Lance chuckled as the man threw an arm over his shoulder with a grin, “I’ve been busy recently. You know how father is.”

“Didn’t he take you out of those classes?” The Altean asked again, “You should have come a lot sooner!” The man suddenly stopped when he noticed the two strangers that Lance brought with him, “Now, who are these two fellas?”

“Oh!” Lance wiggled out of the Altean’s grasp and made his way back towards Keith and Shiro, gesturing to both of them with wide smiles, “This is Shiro. He was the general of the guard for the Galra, but now he kind of lives here.”

Shiro smiled and held out his only hand to shake it with the older Altean. The man accepted it with a welcoming smile, “I’m Samuel Holt, but you can just call me Sam.” After letting go, he looked down slightly at Keith, “And who is this?”

Keith blinked a few times when Sam addressed him, but he gave a warm smile nonetheless, “I’m Prince Keith.” Keith offered his hand: “It’s nice to meet you, Sam.”

As Sam took his hand to shake it, his eyes widen and he looked at Keith with a shocked look, “You’re the young prince who was arranged to be mated with Lance, right? It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“Uh— yeah. Yes, I am,” Keith replied, unsure of how to feel.

Sam turned around and looked towards the car and called out to the boy that was working on it, “Matthew! Get out here and say hello!”

The boy rolled out from under the car and sat up. The Altean had light brown hair that was maybe about the same length as Keith’s, but with much shorter bangs. His face was stained with small bits of oil, which he quickly wiped off with a hand towel that was sitting nearby. He had blue markings, like his father, and bright brown eyes.

Matt stood up and walked over to Sam, the hand towel draped over his shoulder. He smiled when he saw Lance and the two other Galra, “How have things been, Lance? Still sulking over this arranged mates thing?”

“Nice to see you too, Matt,” Lance sighed.

“Who are these two?” Matt asked, gesturing to them both with his index finger, almost like he was judging them.

“Shiro, Keith,” Sam joined in on the conversation, placing one of his hands on Matt’s shoulder, “This is my son, Matt. I have a daughter who works as a cleaner here, Pidge. You may have already met her. Lance, Pidge and Hunk are closer than pees in a pod.”

“You could say we’ve been acquainted,” Keith replied, rolling his eyes as he remembered his first encounter with the girl.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Shiro smiled before he turned to Lance with a slightly confused look, “Didn’t you say there was someone else here you wanted us to meet?”

“Yes,” Lance replied, turning towards Sam, “Where is Adam anyways? Don’t tell me he’s off today.”

“No, he’s here,” Matt said, “He went into the office so he could clean his glasses.”

“If you want to, go ahead,” Lance replied with a slight smirk, “We don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.”

With a nod, Matt took off into the door Keith noticed earlier and went into what he assumed to be the office. After Matt took of, Lance and Sam started a quick conversation, catching up on what has been happening the last few weeks. Keith didn’t really know how to contribute to their conversation, considering he just met Sam and him bringing up the arranged mates thing kind of ruined Keith’s mood. 

While Shiro seemed to be on the same boat as Keith, even he was able to contribute to the conversation every so often. Keith wondered why Lance even wanted to introduce them to these people. While Keith didn’t have anything against them, it was still very random and sudden. Did Lance has some kind of motive for this, or did he really just want him and Shiro to make more friends around the castle?

Keith got his answer the moment Matt walked through the door, with Adam hot on his trail. This man was  _ exactly _ Shiro’s type, at least when it comes to appearance. The man may be no more than a few inches shorter than Shiro, but he was, overall, small. He had lighter brown hair, still darker than the holts, with darker tanned skin. Black rimmed glasses sat on his nose with large brown eyes and blue marks on his cheeks. Even if Keith’s sense of smell wasn’t as good as an Alpha’s, Keith could sense that Adam was an Omega.

When Keith saw the smirk on Lance’s lips, he knew what he was planning. And Keith was totally into it. Wanting to know more, Keith walked over to Lance and grabbed his arm, pulling him back so he could whisper in his ear, “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”

“Depends on what you’re thinking,” Lance whispered back, “If you’re thinking that I’m setting Shiro up with Adam, than you are correct.”

“How the hell did you know what Shiro’s type is?” Keith asked, shifting further away from Shiro to the man didn’t hear, “If you took everything Shiro wanted in a mate, than you’d be making Adam.”

“Lucky guess, I don’t know!” Lance replied, “Adam’s always been really lonely. And you always talk about how Shiro will never be able to get a mate on his own, so I did the work for him.”

“If you’re really going through with this,” Keith glanced up when he noticed Adam and Matt approaching, “Than count me in.”

With wicked grins, the two boys went back to the group when Matt approached with Adam. Keith could already tell that Shiro took a slight interest in Adam. He noticed the way Shiro’s eyes widened ever so slightly and his ears moved up curiously. Keith knew Shiro liked nerds, and even if Adam was maybe a little smaller than Shiro, it was good enough for him.

Lance moved to that he could stand next to Adam. A bright grin decorated his face when he gestured towards Keith, “Adam, this is Prince Keith.” 

The man smiled and bowed slightly before he offered his hand to Keith to shake. Keith took it happily, “It’s nice to meet you, Keith. Lance has told me a lot about you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Keith smiled, “Lance has told me a thing or two about you as well.”

After their greeting, Lance turned towards Shiro. Instead of the warm grin, Lance smirked widely and his voice turned low, “And this is Shiro. He was the general of the guard for the Galra before he came here. Pretty impressive, I would say.”

Keith rolled his eyes at Lance’s obvious change in behavior. The fact that no one seemed to notice or question Lance didn’t make Keith feel any better. But, if they were going to try and pair Shiro and Adam together, boasting about them is really the best option they have since they only just met. At least the two took a slight interest in each other.

“That  _ is _ pretty impressive,” Adam chuckled, a smile decorating his face.

Shiro was the first one to hold his hand out, his eyes remaining on Adam, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Adam.”

The Altean was silent for a moment, staring up at Shiro, before he took his hand and shook it, grasping the Galra’s hand tightly. Keith could have sworn their hands were clasped longer than usual, but it was hard to tell for sure before they let go and looked at each other with bright smiles. Keith thought he should do something else to get the boys interested.

“So, Shiro,” Keith looked up at the Galra, “I think maybe you and Adam should hang out? Maybe even Matt could come along?”

Lance gestured for Keith to come over to him. Keith quirked his brow at Lance before he went over to him, the boy whispering in his ear, “What are you doing? Matt coming along? Seriously?”

“What?” Keith asked, “If I suggested that it was just them two, they’ll get suspicious!”

“True,” Lance nodded, “But how are Adam and Shiro going to take interest in each other if Matt is with them?”

Keith thought for a moment, but then he grinned before he whispered to Lance, “Suggest they all hang out on a day Matt has work.”

Lance didn’t have time to respond before Keith turned back to Shiro and Adam, looking up at Shiro with a wide smile, “What do you think?”

Shiro was silent for a moment, before he looked at Keith, and then to Adam and Matt with a warm smile and glowing eyes, “I… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to become more acquainted with you both.”

“Great!” Lance grinned, throwing his arms around Matt and Adam’s shoulders, causing Adam to bend down slightly with a small chuckle, “Why don’t you guys hang out this friday? Adam’s off, so this is perfect!”

“But, I’m not,” Matt frowned. He was quiet for a moment before he shook his head, “You two can just hang out. Friday’s are my long day anyways, so even if you did wait for me, it would be pretty late anyways.”

“Are you sure? We could always meet up another day,” Shiro frowned, feeling bad for Matt, “I would hate that you couldn’t come just because of work.”

“It’s alright, I insist,” Matt nodded, holding his hands up in defense, “You two can get more acquainted with each other. We can all hang out another day, so just do it. I’ll feel bad if you two don’t hang out just because of me.”

Adam and Shiro both looked unsure for a moment. Keith just prayed to any known god up there that the two boys would agree to this and go spend some time together. With a small shrug, Adam turned to Shiro and nodded to him, as if he was sending him an approval. Shiro blinked before a moment before he smiled too.

“I’m okay with it,” Adam said to him, “Where should we meet up?”

“Uh… how about here?” Shiro suggested with a smile, “We could go out somewhere and just hang out. Nothing too crazy.”

“That sounds fine by me. Can’t wait.” Adam smiled.

The two were quiet for a moment, doing nothing but gazing at each other with warm smiles. Keith looked over at Lance, and saw that he was already looking at him with a wide smirk. Keith smirked back before their gazes turned on to the already lovestruck boys. Keith didn’t think setting Shiro up with anyone could be this easy, but I guess miracles really do exist.

The two boys talked a little bit more, discussing further in depth about what they plan to do and for how long. Keith could tell that Shiro was taking an interest in Adam, whether it be as friends or something more. Even if Shiro didn’t develop feelings for Adam, at least he would gain a new friend out of this. Then again, this is Shiro talking to a living definition of his type.

After a few minutes of talking, Sam interrupted the two boys as Matt went back over to the car he was working on earlier, “Alright, Adam, you need to get back to work. You can get all cuddly with Mr. Shirogane later. Your break was over ten minutes ago, so let’s get it.”

Keith noticed the flush on Adam’s cheeks at the mention of being cuddly, but he shook his head and nodded. The man then turned back to Shiro with a smile, “I-I’ll see you here friday at noon then, yeah?”

“Uh, yeah,” Shiro nodded quickly, “I’ll be here at noon and we can leave.”

“I have to get back to work but…” Adam smiled a little, “I’m really looking forward to Friday.” With that being said, Adam turned around and went into the office once again. Before he went through the door, he looked back and gave Shiro another smile before he closed the door behind him, leaving a smiling Shiro behind with Lance, Keith, and Sam with him. 

Sam sighed softly before he turned back to Lance, “Sorry to say this, but I’m going to have to kick you out,” He let out a small laugh, “I appreciate giving us a visit, and finally giving those two dorks some friends, but we have a lot of work to do.”

“A dork?!” Matt nearly queaked from underneath the car, “Dad, I’m hurt! You’ve wounded me!”

“Oh, grow up,” Sam rolled his eyes, “You’re even more aware of it than I am.” 

“If I’m a dork, I wonder what that makes you,” Matt snickered.

Sam didn’t answer Matt and instead sighed heavily before turning back to Lance, Keith, and Shiro, “Anyways, Shiro, I hope you and Adam have fun this friday. Adam has always been a kind of quiet loner type, but he can get really excited when he talks to people. Help him out of that shell of his.”

“I’ve already done it once,” Shiro laughed, causing Keith to elbow him in the side, “It’ll be alright.”

“I’ll see you soon, Lance, yes?” Sam turned to the boy, “Come and visit more often, and maybe not when we’re all busy.”

“Noted,” Lance smirked at him, before he turned towards Shiro and Keith, “We’ll see you soon, Sam,”

“Now get out of my shop!” Sam laughed as he made a shooing motion with with both his hands, leading all three of the boys out of the shop. 

As they made their way out of the shop and back towards the stairs, Keith found himself smirking wickedly. He can’t even remember the last time Shiro’s been on a date, that is if he’s ever even been on when. Them again, neither as Keith. While, yes, this was more of a friend hangout, but it was just the two of them. There was no way it could be seen as anything else. 

After walking up countless flights of stairs up to the talk, they walked through the same double doors they went through earlier and back into the castle. As each of them made their way back to the main hallways of the castle, Keith couldn’t help but notice Lance’s occasion smiles and smirks he’d make whenever he glanced at Shiro, which made Keith become curious about Lance’s recent actions.

Why did Lance want to set Shiro and Adam up? Of course, Keith had always wanted Shiro to settle down with someone he loves, to not spend his whole life doing nothing but work. It wasn’t until a request came up for the guards to help watch over Keith for awhile that Shiro even retired as general. While Keith was glad that Shiro was finally giving himself some time for him, he wished that the man would go out on a date for once.

Now that Lance has helped do that, Keith is just curious as to what drove Lance to do it. Maybe Lance was feeling the same way Keith did, and he just wanted Shiro to find someone he would want to spend his life with? Keith thought that was the most logical conclusion he could come to, but Lance hasn't know Shiro for a crazy long time, so it didn’t seem to make sense that Lance would think the same way Keith does. 

Then again, there wasn’t any other logical explanation for it. Maybe Lance really did want Shiro to be happy. Lance definitely seemed like the kind of person that would that for anyone, even people he hasn’t know for long. Lance just seemed to have that natural instinct to want to take care of the people around him.

Curious, Keith looked up at Shiro with a smirk, “So, Adam, huh?”

“What about Adam?” Shiro asked, but a small blush that was visible past the fur decorated his cheeks.

“Come on,” Lance gave him an chuckle as he elbowed his arm, “We aren’t idiots, Shiro. I can tell you looked interested in him.” When Shiro remained quiet, Lance frowned slightly, “Come on, admit it. No shame here.”

“Even if I do show an interest in him, I just met him,” Shiro frowned at them, “Showing those kinds of feelings seems kind of… much for our first time spending together.”

“First time spending together… do you hear yourself?!” Lance squacked at him, “You’re acting like this is a casual hangout with your bro!”

“But… it is…?” Shiro blinked at him.

Lance gave Shiro a disappointed look before before he moved his head to look at Keith, “He needs a lot of work, doesn’t he?”

“Can’t remember the last time he’s ever been on a date,” Keith shook his head shamefully, almost as though he was embarrassed.

“Wait, date?” Shiro blinked rapidly at them, “No, no. This is  _ not _ a date.”

Keith and Lance both gave the man an unimpressed look. A look that said:  _ you’re kidding me, right? _ Shiro didn’t know how to respond, and the usually tough Galra ended up flopping his ears down like a sad little kitten lost in the rain. His helpless state caused Keith to laugh with Lance. He’s never seen Shiro like this before. Who knew big bad Shiro was a flustered mess when it came to dating.

“H-How do we even know for sure it’s a date?” Shiro asked them, “This could really just be us just hanging out and getting to know each other…”

“Than ask him on a date,” Keith said, “After you two hang out on friday, ask him to hang out again, but as a date.”

“I’ll try,” Shiro sighed, “You know I’m not exactly good at this type of stuff.”

“Don’t worry,” Keith patted Shiro’s shoulder, “We’ll help you out. It’ll be alright.”

“If you say so,”

“Oh,” Lance grinned, “We know so. Trust us, we’ll help you.”

-

(September 7th, 11:28am…)

“What if he thinks I’m weird?” Shiro whined slightly, throwing his hands in his head as he sits on a chair in front of a full body mirror. 

Standing behind the chair in Shiro’s room was Keith, a small brush in his hand with a large hair clip in his hair holding back his long bangs. He sighs heavily at Shiro’s ridiculous worrying as he continued to brush his slightly wet black and white hairs on his head, as well as any other fur that looked messy. Downside to being full-blooded Galra was that they had to deal with this messy fur. Which meant Keith had to deal with Shiro’s messy fur in situations like this.

It was already Friday, and just an hour before Shiro and Adam were heading out to hang out. Keith didn’t know anything about what they were doing yet, or how long they were going to be out. What he did know was that Shiro was nervous beyond words. Keith wouldn’t be surprised if this poor man started crying before him. Shiro’s nervousness meant Keith basically became a babysitter for him.

“And what if I start to panic again?” Shiro gulps, causing Keith’s eyes to widen and to pause for a moment, “The last thing I want is for Adam to begin to freak out and worry…”

Keith knew all too well how bad it’s been for Shiro. Like anyone else, before he was a general, he was a soldier, running into battle head on. He’s seen and experienced things Keith can’t even begin to imagine. Friends dying, having to kill… losing nearly his entire right arm. Even the toughest creature alive couldn’t handle something like that for long. 

After Shiro was promoted to general, he saw less than what the regular soldiers did. They already thought Shiro would make an eligible general, but part of the reason was because of the lost of Shiro’s arm. They knew Shiro would be putting himself at risk if he kept jumping into battle, so they thought him taking the role as general would be best.

“Shiro,” Keith spoke softly, “You haven’t had a panic is awhile. You’ve been doing well. How many months has it been?”

“Four,” Shiro replies, “It’s been at least four months since my last attack…”

“See?” Keith smiles, “You’ll be alright. You took the medicine and everything will be okay. It’s just one little hangout. You should be okay.”

“But what if I  _ do _ panic?” Shiro shoots back, “I don’t think Adam will know what to do. What if I hurt him?”

“You worry too much, you know. Even I’m not this bad most of the time.” Keith dug his fingers into Shiro’s white streaks and fixed it up a bit before he took the brush to it again, “It will be okay. You look great. You two will have a great time together. I know it.”

Keith looked past Shiro’s head to view him from the mirror. The man simply wore a bright red t-shirt with black jeans and a black leather jacket. Keith always figured Shiro was the king to wear button downs or polo shirts with black dress pants and maybe even the classic sweater wrapped around his shoulders. Keith’s never seen Shiro in such casual clothing at the Galra castle much. The most casual clothes he’s seen Shiro in is either formal clothes or pajamas. 

When Keith came into the room to see what Shiro was wearing, he was shocked Shiro would even consider wearing such clothes. Shiro just shrugged casually and said that this was the kind of clothes he liked to wear. Keith had to take at least two minutes to process that this was the true Shiro. Given his scars from the war, his missing arm, and maybe rough up his fur some more and he’d look like some punk who just got out of jail.

“I guess I am just little anxious,” Shiro sighed, twiddling with his thumbs, “He does seem really nice… but it’s too soon for anything like that. We're just hanging out. I don’t even know if I like him like that.”

Keith quirked his brow up, giving an unimpressed look as he continued to brush Shiro’s fur, “Do you though? I wouldn’t be surprised if he was even a little interested. It sure did look that way when you two first met.”

“What? No way,” Shiro gave him a confused look through the mirror so Keith could see it, “What makes you so sure he was interested?”

“I guess it might be based of his actions,” Keith replied, looking up slightly in thought, “Something about his smile, the way he spoke to you, that spark in his eyes and his choice of words… He just seemed interested. It’s hard to put into words.”

“If you say so,” Shiro blinked at him, looking up slightly at Keith, “Even so, I want to wait a while before I consider something like that. For now, I’ll just look at it as a two new friends casually hanging out and getting to know each other. It's no big deal.”

“That’s the spirit, old man,” Keith chuckled, walking over to the dresser to look at the few things he had set on there. All that was there was some detangling spray, hair gel, a small variety of hair clips and a comb.

“Old man?” Shiro quirked his brow and looked at him, “I’m twenty-five! How is that old?”

“You may not be old, but you sure act like it,” Keith chuckled.

“I’m not old,” Shiro crossed his arms over his chest, “I just have a lot of experience I can share and relate to with others. Twenty-five isn’t old. You don’t have the right to call me old until I’m at least thirty.”

“But in all seriousness…” Keith turned around with the comb and some small red hair clips in his hands, “Have you ever really considered settling down?”

“An eighteen year old asking me about settling down?” Shiro didn’t sound convinced.

“I mean, you are twenty-five,” Keith said as he went behind the chair as he began to comb Shiro’s black and white streaks of fur, “Most people your age consider it. I’ve not once ever seen you go out on a date, nor take any romantic interest in anyone. Have you ever thought about finding a mate and starting a family? You always seemed like the family type.

“Well, yeah…” Shiro trailed off, looking down a little, “I’ve just been never been good with people,” Keith gave him an unimpressed look before Shiro continued, “At least not good with people when it comes to romance. I get get incredibly nervous and I never know what to do or say. Someone will have to be really crazy in love if they’d want to spend the rest of their life with me…”

“Hey…” Keith frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Shiro, you are an amazing guy. You’re brave, a natural leader, very sweet and considerate. Anyone would be so lucky to be with you. But you need to put in the effort to try and find someone.” Keith sighed, “The perfect mate isn’t going to just magically appear before you. You not only need to put in the effort to find someone, but you need to have the confidence that there is someone out there for you.”

Shiro was completely silent for a solid minute. Keith could see how the man’s brows shot up and his eyes widen, looking completely surprised. He turned in his chair so that he could look directly at Keith, “Woah, Keith I… I never thought you would say something like this… T-Thank you, Keith.”

“Hey, I actually have some good advice if you just listen,” Keith shrugged, “Now turn back around. I’m almost done.”

Shiro shook his head and turned back around his seat, chuckling like a fool, “Keith, do you really think a young teenager would listen to some little kid?”

“Well, you did once.”

“And I’ll never do it again.”

Keith shook his head with a smile as he carefully took the comb to Shiro’s black and white fur and neatly styled it. He experimented with the fur a bit and tried some weird styles Keith expected to see in some hair styling montage in children’s cartoons. Shiro laughs along with Keith during the whole thing, but after looking at the clock and seeing that there was only fifteen minutes before Shiro had to go and meet Adam in the parking garage. 

After a few minutes, Keith ended up using some hair gel to comb Shiro’s fur back. Wanting to be safe, he took the brush and quickly brushed though his fur before be put the things away and looked down at Shiro, patiently waiting to see what Shiro thought of his hair.

“Looks good,” Shiro smiled, “Thanks for helping me out, Keith. And… for the advice.”

“No problem,” Keith returned the smile, “Have fun, alright?”

“I will,” Shiro replied, “Speaking of, don’t you and Lance have plans next saturday? You mentioned it briefly, but you never really told me more about it or brought it up again.”

“Yeah, but we’re supposedly sneaking out,” Keith replied, walking over to the table to pick up the brush and other items, “Lance said that since our arranged mating isn’t a thing known by the public yet, we’ll have to sneak out instead.”

“It’s hard enough to sneak  _ into _ a heavily guarded castle,” Shiro frowned slightly, quirkinh his brow up, “How do you two planning on sneaking  _ out _ ?”

“I don’t know,” Keith replied, turning around on his heel, “Lance said not to worry about it, and that he would take care of it,” the boy shook his head with a sigh, “Now I know I should be worried.”

Shiro let out a laugh at Keith’s comment, “Give him some credit, Keith. I’m sure it won’t be that bad. He’s smarter than he seems.”

“I know, but he can still be a little troublemaker,” Keith found himself chuckling at the thought, “I know he’s gonna have some crazy scenario made up in his head. That or he calls a friend, because I swear he’s the breathing definition of reliable in that category.”

“In the end, you should enjoy it,” Shiro chuckled, “If I didn't know any better, I figured he’d be taking you on a date.”

Keith’s entire face immediately flushed into a violent red blush at Shiro’s words, “D-Don’t be silly, Shiro. It’s not a date.” The boy looked down shyly, his arms crossed over his chest with the things in his hands, “He’s just taking me out since I’ve been isolated in the castle for so long… to show me the best time of my life, he says.”

Shiro gave Keith an unimpressed look, not believing anything either of the boys were saying, “Sounds like a date to me.”

“How would you know, Takashi?” Keith gave him a look, “It’s not like you’ve ever been on one before.”

“Ouch!” Shiro replied, “Way to call me out, Keith.”

“Don’t you have to go soon?” Keith tried to change the topic. And other than that, Shiro only had about ten minutes until noon, so he had to leave soon anyways. Time was on Keith’s side.

“Oh shit, yeah,” Shiro looked up at the clock hanging on the wall with wide eyes. He stood up and brushed off his clothes before he walked past Keith towards the door, a nervous look on his face, “I’ll see you later.”

“Take it easy, Shiro,” Keith walked up to the door with him to leave, “You look like you're constipated.”

Shiro blinked at Keith for a moment before he shook his head and took a deep breath, “Sorry. Even if it is just a casual hangout, I guess I’m still a little nervous. For so long I focused so much on work that I never really allowed myself to do things like this very often.”

“Go out, have fun,” Keith pat the older Galra’s back, “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you later,”

The two boys walked out of the room and Keith found himself waving to Shiro as the man turned around and walked down the hallway towards the parking garage, and all Keith could do for Shiro now was pray that this poor fool somehow didn’t somehow fuck up this chance he had at a happy life.

-

(11:52am…)

Lance sighed as he held his phone to his ear, sitting down at his desk with a small list of things written on a piece of paper. Ever since Allura suggested that he tell Keith how he felt on the day they go out, Lance has been nervous beyond words. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Lance had to make Keith feel like he was completely loved, and he wants to spoil him rotten that day. If he was going to tell Keith how he felt, Lance might as well make the day as romantic as possible.

After a few rings, a familiar voice rang through his ears, causing Lance to smile, “Hello? This is Luke of Petite Fleur. May I help you?”

“Hello, Luke?” Lance spoke into the phone, “Long time no talk, huh?”

The phone was silent for a moment, before Luke’s voice boomed through the phone, “Prince Lance? Is that really you? How has it been? It’s felt like years since you’ve last called, let alone came over to the restaurant for a visit! You need to come over sometime soon!”

Luke is an Omega who is the co-founder of one of the most exclusive restaurants called Petite Fleur, which according to Luke was French for “Little Flower”. Luke was relatively small with pale skin and bright purple hair that was a little longer than Keith’s. He had bright blue eyes and deep purple Altean marks. His husband was much taller with much longer, darker purple hair and blue eyes. 

Luke and his husband, Asher, both owned the restaurant and was known for its high quality dishes and for some of the most important people from all the kingdoms coming to eat there. People sometimes have to make reservations months in advance in order to get a really nice table. 

That ended up being a problem for Lance’s case. If he really wanted to go through with this plan, than he needed to see if Luke could do this for him. Upside was that Luke owed him a favor, but Lance was unsure if Luke would be able to go through with such an insane request, even if he truly wanted to. He’d have to work his ass off to make it possible.

“Hey, Luke…” Lance let out a long sigh, “Remember that favor you owe me?”

“Yeah, what about it?” Luke asked through the phone, “Finally decided to use it, huh?”

“Yes, but…” Lance frowned, “It’s not exactly going to be easy to do…”

“What are you going to make me do, fight a bear?” Luke replied sarcastically, “How bad is it? You seem really nervous.”

“The thing is…” Lance hesitated for a moment before he let out a long sigh “If possible… could you maybe get me a table for two in one of your private rooms? Maybe for next saturday…?”

Lance swore he could hear Luke’s jaw dropping at his ridiculous request, “Lance, are you serious? Do you know how hard it’s going to be to do that? You know how crazy people are with reservations for those rooms! People are lucky that they have to wait less than a month to be able to get one!”

“Now do you see why I was so nervous about asking?” Lance pointed out to him, “I know it’s a stupid request, but could you do it? Please?”

“I could easily get you a regular table, Lance, no problem,” Luke sighed, “But do you really need one of our private rooms?”

“Sadly, yes,” Lance through his chin on the table, “If I could, I would gladly take any regular table. But it’s really complicated and I can’t have anyone see me with who I’m bringing.”

“What, are you going on some scandalous date?” Luke laughed a little. When Lance didn’t reply, Luke spoke in a serious tone, “Lance, what is going on? Is that, like, really serious stuff that could get you in trouble?”

“It isn’t that bad,” Lance sighed, and tried to think of the best way to put it. He knew he couldn’t exactly say everything, but Luke was one of his greatest friends. He wouldn't rat him out. “Look, my father knows about it. If anything, he was the one who arranged this whole thing, but he doesn’t want the public to know about it just yet. Why? I don’t know, so I can’t be seen out in public with him like that.”

Luke blinked stupidly for a moment before he spoke again, “Yeah, and you can’t really walk into our place in hoodies or other things you use to hide yourself. You could get kicked out for things like that.”

“Exactly!” Lance replied, “I know I’m asking a lot, but can you do it, Luke? Please?”

Luke’s line was silent for a moment, before Lance heard what sounded like flipping papers. After a minute, the sound stopped and he heard the sound of Luke muttering untranslatable words to himself before he spoke up, “It’ll be a tough fit, but I can make it word. A client just recently canceled their reservation on that day and had it moved. You’re one lucky bastard.”

“Really?” Lance found himself smiling widely, “Oh, thank you, Luke!”

“You had luck on your side for that one, so don’t thank me,” Luke replied, “I can get you a table in there for you and your mysterious lover. And don't worry about the employees. They all sworn to secrecy in their contracts. Running a place like this is going to have it’s drama and secrets. So even if the press or someone else did find out, they can’t tell them or they’d risk their jobs.”

“You are a lifesaver!” Lance cried out, “I owe you big time for this!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Luke chuckled at Lance’s behavior, “Just consider this returning the favor. I’ll get it all taken care of. What time will you two be here?”

“Sometime around five-thirty or six.” Lance said, “Thank you again, Luke. This really means a lot to me.”

“Anytime,” Luke chuckled, “Now, I’d love to stay and chat, but I got work to do. I’ll see you later.”

“See you later,” Lance smiled, “Bye,”

“Bye.”

Lance hung up the phone on Luke and slowly placed it down on his desk. He laid back on the leather desk chair with a long, exhausted sigh. That day was in almost a week and Lance desperately wanted everything to be perfect. Keith may see it as two friends going out, but Lance saw it as what could be the most important day of his life. By the end of it, that day could either make or break his life.

Sitting back up, Lance leaned down on his desk and looked down at the list. Taking a pen in his hands, he put a little check mark by one of the things written on the list. What was this list? It had everything Lance planned on doing with Keith next saturday. It wasn’t a lengthy list. It only had a few things on it, but they were lengthy activities that would keep them entertained for the day.

The day would start at noon where Lance will take Keith to Plaxum’s bakery. While it is a bakery, the place also served plenty of other food they could have for lunch. After lunch, they would head out to the movie theater to see a recently released movie near the center of the capital and spend some time there. When dinner time came around, Lance would escort Keith to Luke’s restaurant and they’ll have some of the best food Lance has ever had in his entire life.

The last thing on the list… it was when Lance would confess. There was a huge hill just on the outskirts of the capital. Not a lot of people go there often, but it has an amazing view of the capital and the castle. At sunset, he’d take Keith there to show him the view. It may be the most cliche way to confess to someone, but Lance just wanted everything to be perfect. This day could either be the best day of his life, or one that ruins it forever. If it was going to ruin it, he could at least have one nice day with Keith before,

Luckily, getting a private room at a nice restaurant was the hardest of the things Lance has to do. He could easily just walk into Plaxum’s bakery and all he had to do was waltz over to the hill. For the zoo, he just had to go there and pay for the tickets. There was only one thing he had to do in order for this to work. He needed a ride. 

Even if he really wanted to, Lance couldn’t just walk around the town. It would take them hours to walk from each place. The best bet he had was to call a cab or maybe even an uber to drive them around. That is unless someone wanted to drive them around all day, which wouldn’t be likely. Lance would have to bring a bit of extra money to tip the driver.

Lance tipped the paper with the end of his pen. Other than the bit of extra money he’d need to bring, everything seemed under control and ready. If they spent about an hour at the bakery, they would still have plenty of time to see the movie before they make it to their reservation at Petite Fleur. After they eat, they’d watch the sunset on the hill. And then Lance will tell him, just go up and say it. He’s planned this whole thing out. He can’t give up now.

Folding the paper up, Lance placed it in the back of the second drawer in his dresser. Even though nothing bad would happen if Keith found this list, Lance would at least like it to be a surprised. If Keith’s never really been out like this for fun, Lance wanted to show him an amazing time. Lance himself even admits it’s been some time since he’s gone out into the capital just to hang out with friends. 

Except this time it isn’t friends. It's one friend. And this friend just so happens to be the person Lance likes, maybe even loves. So not exactly like the last time he did this with Hunk and Pidge. 

Speaking of, Lance nearly flinched when he heard the sound of the bedroom door open. Looking up, Lance sighed in relief a little when it turned out to just be Keith. The boy had mentioned that Shiro had asked for a bit of help with something before he went out with Adam, so Keith most likely just came back from it now.

Lance blushed a little sight of Keith’s adorable appearance. The Galra had back hair clip in his hair that held back his front bangs that normally covered his forehead and nose, almost like a headband. The boy was simply wearing some black leggings and a red t-shirt with some white socks, but he still looked extremely cute. A variety of hair supplies like hair gel and a brush were in his arms as he walked over to the desk, a smile on his face.

“Hey Keith,” Lance found himself smiling too, “Shiro on his way to meet his ‘date’?”

“Yeah,” Keith replied as he opened one of the drawers to put the hair supplies away, “He’s really nervous about it, even if it is just a casual hangout.”

“He’s totally hot for Adam,” Lance’s comment caused Keith to let out a loud laugh, “I could sense it in their eyes. Had they not be in front of people I wouldn’t be surprised if they had started making out.”

“I said the same thing!” Keith chuckled, “Well, mostly. I just told Shiro that I thought Adam at least seemed interested in him. He thought I was so full of shit.”

“I think they’d make a cute couple,” Lance commented as he walked over towards the desk, “The classic nerd gets crush on jock who also just so happens to like them back, but the nerd doubts their relationship will ever last because of the harsh judgements of the other students.”

“You watch too many high school sitcoms,” Keith shook his head, “I just hope Shiro or Adam won’t mess this up,” He leans back against the desk, arms crossed over his chest.

“Even if they don’t want to be a couple, they could still become good friends in the end,” Lance replied with a shrug.

Keith didn’t reply for a moment and he kept quiet, but the next words that came out of the boy’s mouth put Lance into a kind of shock that he couldn’t describe. It didn’t feel like an unbelievable shock, but rather a confusing one, if anything. It made Lance feel unsure, but also curious about why Keith asked that question; what was the motive behind him asking Lance specifically that question, and why only now when they’re alone?

“Have  _ you _ ever been in love before?”

Lance didn’t know if he had to be honest with himself. Having a little crush on someone, or even liking them was one thing. Being in love felt like a whole different emotion that words alone can only describe the bare minimum of how it feels. There were many kinds of love, like romantic or family love, and many definitions of what love is, and people say that there is no true definition of what love means. The only definition of love is the way you see love.

To Lance, love was that bubbly feeling in your chest when they’re around, or the way you find yourself smiling constantly around them, the presence of that person alone making you feel like nothing else matters anymore other than you and that one person. The little things you do together, no matter how simple or casual it may seem. Lance felt like love was the feeling of this one person that meant the whole world to you, that no one could ever feel as important as this one person is.

While Lance has always described his feelings for Keith as a crush, or that he just likes him, Lance found himself feelings those exact feelings he described love as when he’s around Keith. When the boy is around, he feels his cheeks heat up and the largest smile he can muster appear before his eyes. When Keith smiles, laughs or just even looks at him with those warm violet eyes, Lance can’t help but treasure each moment, like how someone hoards their precious things. Because they were precious. Ever smile, chuckle or look was so precious.

Lance found himself letting out a long, tired sigh. He knew he could never say such things to Keith, at least not yet. If the two never really had a chance at being together, Lance would tell him those things after the rejection. And if Keith really did feel the same way about him… than Lance didn’t know. He didn’t even know what he’ll say to Keith on the hill, or what words will come out only for them to all mean the same thing:

I like you…

“I…” Lance was at a lost of words for a second, before he sighed and again, “Yeah, I have… they’re such a great person, but I know I don’t stand a chance.”

“What makes you say that?” Keith asked, “Have they directly told you they like someone else, or have given any sign?”

“A sign, yes,” Lance nodded, “There was this other guy… they’ve known each other ever since they were young. I could tell from how happy and excited they looked around him that I could never stand a chance. Hell, it even seemed obvious that the guy felt the same way…”

“Oh… I’m sorry,” Keith frowned, “Do… Do you still love them?”

Lance had to hold back the urge to bite his lip. He ended up just looking down with a sad look in his eyes, hating himself for making up such a fake story. Then again, it’s not like Lance could tell him the truth. Hell, Lance didn’t even know why he said he has been in love. So, for now, Lance responded with a quiet, “Yes…”

Keith, too, was silent after hearing Lance’s reponse. Lance hoped that he didn’t make things awkward, or at the very least make Keith feel bad for asking the question. When he looked up, Lance saw that Keith did look a little upset, looking down and away, but he sooned smiled gently, his eyes filled with an emotion Lance couldn’t describe. 

“What about you?” Lance asked in a quiet voice, “Have you ever been in love?”

Keith lifted his head up slightly, but he still kept his gaze lowered. He didn’t reply at all, his gaze never leaving the floor. Lance found himself regretting even asking him, but wouldn’t it seem normal for someone to ask you a question like that back? Keith should’ve expected that kind of response, but Lance chose to not to point it out.

Lance ended up widening his eyes in shock when he heard Keith’s quiet response, “Yeah… I guess you could say that I am in love.”

“It’s Shiro, right?” Lance asked in the softest voice, trying his best not to sound too upset or disappointed, “Y-You two are really close. I-It wouldn’t be that surprising if the two of you became a couple…”

“Shiro?” Keith’s sudden confused tone surprised Lance for a moment, “You mean  _ Shiro _ Shiro? What the hell makes you think I’m in love with Shiro?”

Lance’s eyes widen and he lifted his head up to see Keith was now standing up, his arms still folded across his chest. He didn’t really look angry, but Lance could tell that Keith was demanding an answer from him. Lance was just wondering what is was about the idea of Keith and Shiro being a couple that upset Keith so much. Did it really sound as silly of an idea as Keith is making it out to be?

“I-I mean– y-y and Shiro have known each other for so long…!” Lance held his hands up in defense, “You two always seem so happy around each other… who wouldn’t believe you know we're a couple? Or at the very least had feelings for each other?”

Keith let out a long groan as he pinched the space between his eyebrows, “Shiro was seventeen when I was ten. Even if Shiro did feel that way about me, he’s more of a brother to me, if anything. God, Lance… what the fuck?”

“I-I’m sorry,” Lance lowered his hands a bit, a small frown on his face, “I’m sorry if I offended you… that’s not what I was intending to do…”

Lance couldn’t help but notice the way Keith went from annoyed to what Lance could only describe as concerned. His eyes widen slightly and his brows show up a little, a small frown on his lips. Lance found himself mimicking the same face when he noticed Keith walk up to him with a small sigh. The boy reached forward with his right hand and Lance began to grow worried about what Keith was going to do.

He had to hold back the urge to gasp when Lance felt Keith’s delicate fingers begin to brush up against his bare arm. Lance looked down to see that Keith kept his now blank gaze lowered on his arm, not saying a word as he gently pet it. Keith looked… surprisingly mellow, almost like he was a sleepy child who has fallen asleep in his parent’s arms as they carried him to his bed. 

His actions made Lance blush brightly and he wondered if Keith could feel the heat travel down to his arms. Keith did look up at him with worried eyes after a few seconds, his eyes soft and warm like a campfire during an autumn evening.

“I’m sorry…” the boy mumbled out, “I didn’t mean to get upset.” He looked up at Lance, this time more stern, “I just… don’t like it when people think me and Shiro are a couple. I don’t know why, but I do and I didn’t mean to get upset with you.”

“I shouldn’t have even brought it up,” Lance shook his head, reaching down to grab Keith’s arm and hold it between them, “It’s okay. I’m not upset.”

“You sure?” Keith looked up at him, still looking worried.

Lance found himself smiling softly at Keith’s worrying look. He found himself dropping Keith’s arm so he could use his right hand to lift it up and carefully pet Keith’s hair. He didn’t even know how it was possible for someone’s hair to be this soft. It felt good between his fingers, and all Lance could imagine was him digging his fingers into the tips of Keith’s hair as he kissed him sweetly. It was one of his many fantasies that only exists in his dreams.

“You worry too much,” Lance smiled fondly at him, burying the hair between his fingers, “I’m not mad at you. It’s okay, really.”

Keith stared up at him for a moment before he looked away, a small smile appearing on his face, “Okay…”

The two stayed like that for a few minutes, not wanting to ruin the moment. They simply enjoyed each other’s presence as warm, unknown thoughts and fantasies swarms the boys heads like a hive of bees. Lance wanted to tell Keith so badly in that moment, but he knew better. All the doubts he had about confessing were still lingering in the back of his mind, holding him back until the planned date.

“Hey, Keith?” Lance suddenly asked, “Would you like to take a walk in the garden with me? We can talk while we wait for Shiro to get back… and maybe even see if Hunk or Pidge came come with us.”

Keith didn’t reply for a moment before he gave him a warm smile, “Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shamelessly puts my OCs into this fic*  
> Yeah Luke and Asher are two of my oldest OCs, at least my oldest ones that I still draw and pay attention to. So I threw them into this mess instead kd making new side characters.
> 
> Anyways, again, sorry for forgetting to update I was pretty busy on Friday.
> 
>  
> 
> Social media  
> Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter and Tellonym: same username as my AO3 (thosespacegays)


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When ur too lazy to edit UwU

(September 7th, 11:57pm…)

Shiro took a deep breath as he reached the floor of the steps that lead into the parking garage. He stood in front of the door for a few moments, trying his best to keep himself calm. Like he’s said to himself several times now, this was not a date. He and Adam have just met, and are going out together so they can get to know each other more and become better friends. It is not a date.

_ It’s not a date… _

Looking up at the door after taking a final breath, Shiro opened it and walked into the parking garage. Like last time he was here, it was mostly completely empty other than the variety of cars of the employees that lingered in their respective spots. Since it was the middle of the day, Shiro didn’t see any other Alteans in the room other than the usual guard by the road that lead to the outside of the castle, most likely there to watch for people who came in and out. 

Turning, Shiro walked over to the direction that the car shop was in, remembering the way that Lance had took them the other day. Shiro didn’t know why not only Lance, but Keith as well were so insistent that he meet up with Adam, and Matt if it weren’t for the fact that he had work. Maybe what Lance was saying was true, and he just really wanted he and Keith to make more friends around the castle. Shiro would have questioned why they don’t come with them, but since they’ve yet to reveal to the public of Keith and Lance’s arranged marriage, then Keith has to go out as sparingly as possible.

As he approached closer to the shop, Shiro lifted his head up slightly when he noticed Adam. The boy was leaning back slightly against the wall next to the door that lead into the shop’s office. He wore a simple deep blue t-shirt and black jeans, his square glasses pushed up against his nose as he glanced over at the small black watch he wore on his right arm. 

With a long sigh, Shiro found the courage to approach Adam. As he made his way over, Shiro passed the garage door and saw Matt. The boy was leaning against the car he was working on earlier as he spoke with a young Altean girl, who was giggling as Matt grinned from ear to ear. As he passed them, Matt took notice of Shiro and gave him a thumbs up while mouthing “good luck”. The girl seemed confused as to what Matt was doing, but the two went back to talking before Sam came back out of the office and yelled at Matt to wrap up his conversation and get back to work.

Shiro shook his head with a slight smile before he went over to the office door to meet up with Adam. The clicking of his black shoes had already alerted Adam that someone was approaching, and he glanced up to look at the intruder, only to realize it was just Shiro. It could have just been him, but to Shiro it appeared that Adam seemed to grow a lot more happy when he realized who was approaching him. Then again, it could have just been Shiro’s mind playing tricks on him. 

He didn’t know if Lance did this on purpose or not, but as far as what he’s seen, Adam is exactly Shiro’s type. He may be quite tall for an Omega, but he definitely had most of the qualities Shiro liked in a mate. He doesn’t know a lot of Adam personality wise yet, but so far, he seemed almost like he was created just for Shiro. However, Shiro knew better. If he was going to make a move, he’d at least like to get to know Adam better before he even considers anything like that.

“Sorry if I kept you waiting,” Shiro said to him, “My room’s quite a distance away from here.”

“You didn’t keep me waiting long, don’t worry,” Adam insisted, looking up at Shiro with those big brown eyes.

“So, um– I wanted to ask…” Shiro trailed off, feeling slightly embarrassed by his question, “Did you… plan anything for us to do? I don’t really know the area as well as I’d like, so I wouldn’t be much help with deciding where to go.”

Adam let out a small chuckle, a faint pink on his cheeks when he did, “I figured that were the case. Don’t worry, I have a few ideas in mind on where we could go. Do you like coffee?”

“Yeah, I do,” Shiro nodded.

“There’s this cute little coffee shop owned by a friend of mine. It’s pretty popular,” Adam explained, reaching into his pant pocket to pull out a set of car keys, “We could also get some lunch while we’re at it?”

“Yeah,” Shiro nodded with a smile, “I think lunch would be nice.”

Adam smiled back at him and nodded before he lifted the arm that held his keys and clicked a button on it. Near the front of the lot next to them, a black car’s lights began to blink a few times. The car itself didn’t look relatively special or flashy, if anything it blended in perfectly with the other cars that sat in the lot. 

Adam began to walk over to his car before Shiro even realized it. With a small shake of his head, he jogged over to catch up with Adam. The boy went over to the other side of the car to get into the driver’s seat, quickly opening the door to get inside. With a shrug, Shiro opened the door to the passenger’s seat and slipped inside of the rather smaller car.

The inside of the car was a lot like what Shiro was expecting. Like the outside, the car’s leather seating and dashboard was completely black. The car itself was extremely clean, as thought just yesterday the car had been cleaned and vacuumed. The windows, the doors, the dashboards; none of them shows any signs of damage, or even a scratch. It looked as though Shiro was sitting in a completely brand new car.

“Your car is really nice,” Shiro looked around the vehicle in awe, “It’s really clean…”

Adam let out a small chuckle as he started up the car, but it sounded nervous,  “Oh, thanks. I did clean it out the other day. It’s not normally really messy, but I thought that I should clean it out for you.”

He cleaned out his car for him? Shiro found himself smiling at the thought as Adam backed his car out of the spot and drove off towards the exit. He turned right and they found themselves at what looked like a toll booth. Adam pulled up to the booth and had a quick conversation with the Altean there. Shiro tried not to pry, but he partly heard that Adam was simply talking to the guard about what he was doing and the Altean lifted the poll so they they could make their leave.

The entrance to the parking garage was underground in the back of the castle. The road they took lead out to an opening on a road in the back and they drove around the castle to the front, where they were yet again met with another toll booth and an Altean who was working it. Adam pulled over and flashed out what appeared to be an ID card. From what Shiro could see, the card had bits of information about him, but one of the most noticeable things was that it listed what his job was at the castle. Shiro just assumed it was a card to help people identify the workers at the castle. 

After the Altean gave Adam his card back, he lifted up the toll and Adam drove the car out of the castle lot. After driving across a long, brick bridge that divided the castle to the capital town, the car stopped at a stop sign and later turned down the road and lead themselves into the busy streets of the capital city.

If there was one thing the Altean kingdom was known for, it was their interesting take on their architecture. While the Altean castle felt no different than the other castles, with the same grey bricks used to build it, the rest of Altea had glorious white buildings. Most of the larger, more noticeable buildings had that exterior design, while smaller buildings such as restaurants or shops had pretty normal appearances that could fit into just about every other kingdom. 

While the city seems to have no sign of nature other than the occasional trees, bushes and even gardens, Alteans have tried to go back to ways to preserve nature. The biggest example has to do with minimal construction outside of the already existing space in the city. While most of the city is surrounded by fields and large hills, the kingdom does what they can to fit whatever they can inside the city. For example, if someone wanted to open a new restaurant, they’d have a much better chance og buying a vacant building, rather than buying land and extending off the already large city.

Since it was noon, and a friday, the traffic in the capital was bad. It wasn’t as bad as rush hour is on the weekends, but it was still bad enough that it had Shiro and Adam sitting in long lines of cars at stops and seeing crowds of different species alike cross the streets. Since it was lunchtime, fast food places and restaurants were starting to get a little busy from the rush, but it still wasn’t crazy busy.

Adam only drove in the city for a little over five minutes before they arrived at the shop at the end of a street. Shiro was able to get a small glance at the coffee shop. The place was called “The Coffee Spoon” and the sign had a large spoon sign behind the title. The shop had a very modern exterior design, with smooth, dark brown walls and long, clear windows. From what Shiro could see, the shop had a handful of people inside, but wasn’t crazy busy.

Right across the street from the coffee shop, Adam was able to find a free spot on the side of the road. Of course, they’d had to pay for the parking but it was a spot nonetheless. As Adam began to turn off the car, Shiro thought about something for a moment. Should he pay for parking? He brought a bit of money just in case something like this would happen. Besides, Adam was already buying them some lunch. Couldn’t he at least be polite and pay for parking?

Shiro didn’t have much time to go through with it, for Adam was already stepping out of the car once there were less cars on his side. Shiro blinked for a moment before he quickly stepped out too. His seat was on the sidewalk side, so he luckily had an advantage. As soon as he got out of the car, Shiro pulled out his wallet and walked over to the machine just a few rows down so he could pay for their space. 

As Shiro begin to click on the space they were in and how long they would be staying there, Adam appeared behind Shiro and gently touched his arm to get his attention, “Shiro, you don’t have to pay for parking. I can take care of it.”

“It’s alright, really,” Shiro insisted, pulling out a few dollars from his wallet, “I brought a little bit money for something like this anyways. You don’t have to pay for everything we do today, you know.”

Adam looked like he wanted to protest against Shiro paying, but he shook his head with a sigh and looked away shyly, “Fine, but just this once. I’m paying for lunch and good luck changing my mind.”

Shiro let out a loud laugh, but it seemed to blend in with the load city chatter, “I don’t think I want to found out what happens if I do,” 

As Shiro finished up paying for their spot, the two boyd made their way over to the nearest crosswalk that was right beside The Coffee Spoon. As they waited, a handful of other people began to form a small crowd around them as they waited for the sign to change. Some of them appeared in casual clothes, like the way a teenager would dress when they would go to school, and some has sleek hair and fancy attire, most likely office workers who were on their way to work.

Once the cars halted to a stop and the sign changed to display a walking stick figure, the crowd began to move, with Shiro and Adam in the middle of it. The clicking of shoes against the concrete ringed in their ears and shifted slightly once they reached the other side, each of the people leaving in different directions at the corner. 

With a shared shrug, Shiro and Adam walked over to the glass doors of the coffee shop. Instinctively, Shiro walked ahead of Adam to hold the door open for him. He was so used to doing that, not only around royalty, but for other high figures, so it became a habit of him to hold doors open for people, even if he’s just hanging out with a few friends. Some of his old troop members from the Galra kingdom used to tease him out it, but they still thought that it was a kind gesture.

Shiro found himself blushing vibrantly when he realized what he did. He slowly turned his head to look at Adam. The Omega was staring up at, looking surprised by Shiro’s actions. It wasn’t an annoyed or offended shock, but he looked more shocked by the fact that Shiro actually held the door open for him. 

With a small sigh, Shiro looked away, his already bright blush glowing, “I-It’s a habit, okay? I-I’m used to holding doors open for people, so don’t judge, alright?”

“Oh no, I wasn’t judging,” Adam held his hands up and shook them side to side slowly, like he was defending himself , “It was… just surprised, by the gesture— I mean. Thank you.”

Shiro found himself blinking stupidly at Adam walked through the doors with s careful step, “Uh- no problem.”  _ Real smooth Takashi…  _

When Adam walked inside, Shiro walked in behind him and closed the glass doors to look around the coffee shop. The place itself was pretty large for a coffee shops, with light brown walls with lights aligned in rows hanging above  them. Near the back corner of the room was the long, deep brown countertop that displayed a variety of things, such as cups, creams, and what looked to be some fancy coffee machine Shiro couldn’t identify. Wooden chairs and tables lined the remainder of the room as patrons chatted or had laptops open doing work.

Shiro let out a small sigh of relief at the small crowd. Even if he hasn’t seen much since he was promoted as general, he sometimes still, fears the large and growing crowds of the city, even within the capital of his old home. The coffee shop seemed like a quaint little place, so Shiro thought he’d be alright.

There were two cashiers with two different Alteans running them. There were a short line for both of them, each of them housing mostly Alteans, but the coffee shop overall having a variety of the four species sitting at the tables. Even if the place was a local coffee shop, it seemed that is was well known but not just Alteans. 

Shiro and Adam got into what appeared to be the shortest line and waited for their turn. It was slightly awkward, at least for Shiro, because they weren’t really talking to each other. As far as Shiro could tell, Adam didn’t seem to mind, or at least didn’t feel awkward about it. Shiro decided that for now he could just wait until they sat down before attempting to strike a conversation. 

When they got up to the front, Shiro noticed how Adam suddenly grinned when he looked over at the person who was at the cash register. It was a younger Altean, maybe in her late teens. She had carmel brown skin and  bright hazel eyes that hid behind a pair of round glasses. She had dark blue hair tied back into a high ponytail and a brighter turquoise headband sitting on her head. 

The woman seemed to grin to at the sight of Adam, “Adam, you bastard, how long has it been now?”

“Like, a month?” Adam replied, “Nadia, you’re acting like this is the first time I’ve seen you in ten years.”

“One month is equivalent to ten years to me,” Nadia replied back with a slight glare, “You need to come here more often, dude! Or I swear Mat isn’t going to be able to live to see another day.”

Shiro found himself quirking his brow at the mention of this  _ Mat _ guy. He must be another Mat that Adam knows. Adam said the he knew a friend who owned this coffee shop, so was it Mat? And why was Nadia so specific with the way she described Mat? Shiro shook his head at the thought when he heard Adam speak up.

“Now you’re definitely being dramatic,” Adam shook his head, “Mat knows that I… I don’t know… I have a life? And a job?”

“Whatever,” The Altean pouted. Nadia suddenly widened her eyes and lifted herself up when she finally noticed someone was with Adam. Shiro stared at her stupidly with a confused look. The woman just grinned and began to poke the side of Adam’s face.

“Adam, who is he?” Nadia begged with a giggle.

“His name is Shiro and I’ll tell you once we aren’t holding up the line,” Adam sighed, glancing behind him to see the other people patiently waiting, but he could tell that they were starting to get annoyed. He even saw someone move over into the other line while they were talking.

“Fine, but you better have a good explanation for this.” The woman pointed directly to Shiro, before she shook her head and went back to a formal tone, “Welcome to The Coffee Spoon. What can I get you guys?”

“The usual for me,” Adam simply said, and then turned to Shiro so that he could place his order.

“I’ll just take a black coffee, thanks,” Shiro replied with a slight nod.

“Alright. Anything else?”

“Not now,” Adam shook his head, “Just grab us a few menus and we’ll order lunch in a little bit.”

Nadia quickly clicked a few buttons on the cash register before she spoke up once again, “Alright. That’ll be $6.38.”

Shiro found himself frowning when Adam pulled out a ten dollar bill and gave it to Nadia, who quickly typed it into the cash register and gathered up the change she needed to give to Adam. He felt bad for not paying for coffee, and making Adam pay for all of it. Even if the Altean insisted that he was okay paying for everything, to Shiro, still sounded like he was being rude. Maybe he’ll ask to pay for his lunch.

Nadia smiled and pulled out two small menus and handed them both to Adam, who quickly took them with a small thanks and began to walk off towards the tables. Shiro followed behind as Adam went towards a small table with two short booster seats in the back corner next to a window. Adms sat back at the further one, white Shiro sat in the seat across from him, feeling surprised at how soft and comfortable the seat was.

Handing Shiro a menu, Adam quickly opened up his and Shiro looked down at his. The menu was a light yellow color with the coffee shop’s logo plastered across the front of it. He opened it up to see the items divided up in categories like appetizers, sandwiches, and other things. In some of the corners, pictures of some of the items with the name of it were scattered across the pages.

Adam seemed to have already decided what he wanted, for when Shiro looked up, Adam already has his menu down on the table, looking out at the window as the afternoon sun shined on his skin, his pale brown hair glowing like a jewel. Shiro had to bury his face behind the mirror before Adam noticed his staring. How did someone like him just look so naturally good? It seemed so unfair that god managed to make the most perfect being in the entire world. 

At this point, Shiro was done denying that he thought Adam looked cute. Any Alpha with half a brain would agree with Shiro. He was surprised that someone hasn’t made a move on him. Adam was naturally cute and good looking too. He passed that “cute nerd” kind of look too, but was friendly and social enough to not be a handful. If Shiro had the chance, he’d ask Adam out anyday.

However, it was way too soon for such ideas; Shiro’s said it to himself several times already today. They’ve only known each other for a few days, and this is their first time hanging out together. Hell, if it wasn’t for Matt being busy with work, he would have been here with them too! Shiro didn’t know what he had to do to get such silly thoughts out of his head, but he’d be willing to bang his head against a steel wall if it would work.

“Shiro?” The man had to stop himself from flinching when Adam’s voice rang in his ears, “Are you still deciding what you want?”

“Uh– yeah.” Shiro lifts his head with a nod, “I’m thinking of getting those club sandwiches? The ones with ham?”

“Those are really good!” Adam smiled, “Used to get them a lot before I started working at the castle.”

“Speaking of,” Shiro found this as a good way to start to get to know Adam more, “How long have you been working there?”

“Only a few years,” Adam replied, placing his arms down so that they rested on the table, “I was looking for a mechanic job somewhere, since I had just recently graduated a few months ago, and my dad showed me an ad that the castle was in need for a new mechanic.”

“I assumed many people went for the job,” Shiro frowned slightly, “And must’ve been some tough competition, especially since they were only hiring for one mechanic.”

“Honestly, I don’t even know how I was hired,” Adam looked down at his tanned hands, “According to Mr. Holt, many well-known and experience people applied for the job.” He looked up at Shiro and chuckled slightly, “No matter what field you were in, it was everyone’s dream to work at the castle. They definitely pay good money.”

“You said that you had just graduated college sometime after you applied, right?”

“Yes,” Adam nodded, “And being an Omega didn’t help my chances. I mean, an Omega? Getting down and dirty fixing cars? Usually we’re wiping tea cups or cradling a baby in our arms, not getting covered in oil under a car. Even if Omegas do have more right these days, it still isn’t as easy as people say it is.”

“I know,” Shiro sighed, looking away, “People like King Zarkon who are biased when it came to hiring employees. Would gladly hire some rough and dirty Alpha that probably crawled straight out of the gutter, then an Omega from a good background who had all the proper education.”

“I know,” he sighed, “Mr. Holt, however, he was different. I didn’t have any experience in the field other than a college education, and yet he still hires me over all the others better and more experienced people who applied.”

“I’m glad he did,” Shiro caught himself smiling, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met you.”

Shiro immediately regretted his words, but they were still true. On a totally not romantic side, Adam seemed like a really nice person. From what Shiro has seen, Adam seemed really sweet and humble. Then again, Adam could be like Keith and not show his true colors until he feels more comfortable around the person, but Shiro is willing to take that risk.

And he seems to be willing to take a lot of risks, including his very specific choice of words when referring to how he was glad to have met Adam. 

Adam looked up at Shiro, looking surprised at his words. His pointed little ears seemed to move up with his head, which Shiro found a little cute. He looked away with a slight pout showing on his lips, a faint pink decorating his cheeks as his black rimmed glasses slowly sliding down his nose, but the Altean doesn’t seem to take any notice of it until they straight up fell off.

Shiro found himself giggling when Adam flinched and moved forward to catch his glasses. They fumbled slightly in his hands before he managed to catch them by the temples with his fingers. His pout grew more at the sight of Shiro’s giggles and simply put the glasses back on his face and crossed his arms across his chest like a pouting child.

“Sorry,” Shiro laughed a little, “I guess that was a little much for our first time hanging out together, right?”

Adam simply nodded and he glanced over at Shiro, but the blush remained, “But… that was pretty sweet of you to say…Thanks.”

“No problem,” Shiro replied, “Besides, it’s not like I was lying.”

Adam quickly turned away with a blush and Shiro chuckled at him, but as Adam moved, something strange fell out on his chest. Shiro didn’t notice it before, and it seemed strange that Adam kept it hidden under his shirt. It was a necklace with a silver chain and a silver ring attached to it. While hard to notice, small words were engraved around the ring, but they were too far small for Shiro to read.

“A ring necklace?” Shiro suddenly asked out loud.

Adam’s reaction was one that Shiro wasn’t expecting. He looked surprise, but… also scared, or uneasy. He quickly turned back to Shiro before tucking the run back under his shirt, “Oh, it’s just a gift an old friend of mine got for my birthday sometime back. I didn’t even realize I was wearing it…”

Shiro to want to speak up, but than a loud, deep, and booming voice echoed in the room, causing Shiro to flinch and for Adam to pause and stare excitingly in the direction the voice came from. “Adam, is that really you?”

Shiro looked up from his seat to see a tall Altean Alpha standing in front of their table, his large lips displaying a grin. The man had dark skin with long, pure black dreadlocks that looked like it was held back like a bun. He had warm, green eyes with bright blue Altean marks that stood out against his skin with long, pointy ears. He was a white button down with black pants and on his shirt rested a nametag with his full name and the word “manager” written above it.

Adam stood up with a smile and immediately hugged Mat without a second thought. Shiro suddenly felt like a third wheel as the two shared their hug. Not that the two were together, but that Shiro didn’t really know Mat, so the whole moment felt a little awkward with him sitting there staring up at them like a child who just asked their parents what the word fuck meant.

After their hug concluded and they pulled away, Adam looked up at the slightly taller man with a smile, “It’s been too long, Mat. Where have you been?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Mat grinned with a chuckle, “Work getting to you as always?”

“Yeah,” Adam sighed, shaking his head, “How’s your nephew doing, by the way? Haven’t seen in a long time either.”

“The usual. Living up the rich kid life because his dad decided to go into the business branch while he sad little uncle just wanted to run a coffee shop,” Mat said half jokingly. “Now, what finally drove you to come back to me?”

“I got some time off and decided to come out here with a new friend of mine,” the boy turned to Shiro with a smile.

Mat just now seemed to take notice of the mysterious stranger sitting with Adam. Shiro stared silently at Mat as the man squinted his eyes suspiciously at him. The boy glanced to the side to see Adam sighing once again with a frown as Mat eyed him down. Adam ende duo grabbing him by the back of the collar and pulling him away from Shiro. 

“Leave him alone, Mat,” Adam pouted, giving him an annoyed grunt.

“What if he’s bad?” Mat begin to speak like he was an overprotective parent, “What is he takes away your innocence—”

Adam immediately was ignited with a blush so bright that his entire face turned red within seconds and he slammed both of his palms on top of Mat's lips, “Shut up, Mat! He won’t!”

Shiro wanted to know what Mat meant by “take away Adam’s innocence”, and he had several ideas for what he meant by that, but judging by Adam’s reaction, he thought it be best if he kept quiet about the subject, “I don’t plan on it, trust me.”

Mat half-jokingly glared at Shiro before he grabbed onto Adam’s wrists and moved them away from his mouth, “I know, I know. I like to tease him.” He let go of his wrists and put a hand on his right hip, “I don’t think I’ve had the privilege to meet you.”

Shiro stood up from his seat as Mat offered his left hand to shake with Shiro’s. Shiro happily took it without much thought, but he didn’t notice the way Adam frowned and looked away with sadness in his eyes, but quickly went back to a neutral face.

“I’m Takashi, but everyone calls me Shiro,” Shiro smiled and let go of his hand.

“Name’s Mat,” He grinned, “I own this little place. I’ve known Adam since high school. And he was such a dork.”

“Hey!” Adam jokingly punched Mat’s arm.

Shiro let out a loud laugh at Adam’s adorable reaction, with Mat following behind. The comment made Shiro curious about what Adam was like in high school, and if he really was as dorky as Mat claimed him to be. Shiro thought about asking later and stored the question in his head for the time being. He’d get his answers eventually.

“You seem like an alright guy,” Mat grinned, “Speaking of, what brings you to Altea?”

Shiro looked over at Adam to see he was already giving him the same look. They both were thinking the same thing: can they really share such information with Mat? The real reason Shiro is here is to look after Keith. The arranged marriage had yet to become a public thing yet. Shiro doesn’t know why King Zarkon and King Alfor are waiting to share the news, but Shiro had to simply respect their choice in waiting to tell the public.

“He’s a cop!” Adam suddenly said a little too loudly, moving closer to Shiro, “He moved to Altea for… for more job opportunities.”

Shiro looked down at Adam to see him giving him a serious look. He knew what he was doing. Adam was covering for him, making up a fake story as to why he’s here, and it looks like Adam is wanting Shiro to add on. It made sense, considering this is about him and it would be weird of Adam just told Mat the whole thing. 

“With all the strong Galra in the Galra kingdom, jobs like that are hard to come by, mostly because they don’t need it,” Shiro replied, nodding to Adam, “I figured moving to one of the other kingdoms would bring me more potential opportunities to get accepted.”

“Makes sense,” Mat shrugged casually, “Someone with muscle like you could be really beneficial, even as a simple security guard. But why Altea?”

“It’s the closest kingdom to the Galra kingdom, right?” Adam pointed out, “Traveling and expenses would be much cheaper.”

“Yeah, that’s part of the reason,” Shiro laughed a little. 

“Well, welcome to Altea, then.” Mat lifted his large hand to pat Shiro’s shoulder, “As much as I’d love to keep talking, I got a lot of work to do.”

“It was nice meeting you, Mat.” Shiro said to him.

“Great meeting you too.” Mat smiled, but then looked over at Adam curiously. He gestured for Adam to come over, and like an obedient puppy, he quickly walked over to him.

Mat leaned down to whisper into Adam’s ear. Even if Mat was trying to be secretive, he wasn’t doing a good job at it. Even a preschooler would know that Galra have some of the best hearing known after Alteans, so even if he was whispering, Shiro could still understand everything like he was shouting it to the rooftops.

“He’s a keeper,” he heard Mat whisper, “Don’t mess this up.”

“Mat, I just me him,” Adam replied softly, “There’s no way he likes me like that  _ now _ .”

“We’ll see.” And with that, Mat turned around and lifted his hand to wave back at Adam and Shiro over his shoulder before he quickly disappeared into a door in the back of the coffee shop. 

Adam sighed softly and shook his head before he sat back down in his head, hanging his head in defeat, “What an I going to do with that fool?”

Shiro let out a small chuckle as he sat back down in his seat too, doing his best to pretend that he didn’t hear of that, “I know that feeling. Old friends like that will joke and tease you about anything, no matter how old or unimportant the moment was.”

“Are you talking about Keith?” Adam asked, raising his head to look at Shiro.

“Yeah,” Shiro smiled, “He may have been just a kid when I met him, but over the years, he’s become one of my greatest friends. And won’t shut up about anything!”

“Mat’s the same way,” Adam sighed, “He likes to tease me about how shy I used to be, or rather still am.”

“You don’t seem very shy,” Shiro looked at him with a confused look.

“I’m not as shy as I was, but I can still get pretty nervous around people I want to get to know, even if it doesn’t look like it.” 

“Are… are you feeling shy now?” Shiro asked.

“A little…” Adam paused, a small smile appearing as he looked down at the table, “I-I don’t know how to explain it. I guess I kind of feel comfortable around you. Even when we first spoke… something about it felt right.” He looked up at Shiro, “Does that make any sense to you?”

Shiro’s eyes widen for a moment. Talking to him felt right? Shiro has to confess, ever since he first saw Adam, there was something about him that felt different and Shiro doesn’t know why. He never felt like this around anyone. Even if the dates Shiro’s been on has been minimal, he still remembers them. Each one of them didn’t spark this feeling Shiro has his chest.

What was it about Adam that was different?

“Yeah, I understand,” Shiro replies softly, “To be honest, I felt something like that when I first met you.” 

“Fate, perhaps?” Adam concluded.

Shiro thought about it for a moment. Yeah… he liked that. Fate. Perhaps it was indeed fate that brought the two of them here today. Maybe it wasn’t, but regardless, Shiro didn’t regret it, and he only hopes Adam didn’t either.

-

(3:09pm…)

It didn’t take long before Shiro and Adam lost track of the time. After the two order their food and got their coffee, it was as though time had sped up twice the speed when the two began to talk more. The two pretty much just played twenty questions to get to know each other better. Most of the questions consisted of things like what their favorite things were or where they were from.

In the end, they both ended up having more fun than either of them thought. As Shiro learned more about Adam, he began to like him even more. Despite the constant feeling in his gut telling him that it was too soon to believe he liked him, Shiro just couldn’t help it. He knew that Keith would yell at him about it, he knew that he’d hate himself for ever thinking like this, but it’s something that is out of Shiro’s control. And he doesn’t even think he’d want to control it.

Shiro could only hope and pray that Adam felt the same way. And judging from the evidence, he must’ve, right? From what he said to Mat earlier, to the laughs, giggles and smiles he’d show whenever Shiro said something funny or “cute” (cute according to Adam). If he didn’t like him, than was he at least interested? Shiro desperately wanted to low, and the urge to ask has been lingering in his head for hours.

He didn’t have much time to ask now. They were now pulling into the parking garage of the castle; Shiro sitting in the passenger seat of Adam black car while said boy was behind the wheel and carefully looking around the silent parking lot for an available space close to the entrance for the car. 

Shiro found himself gripping the pant material on his thigh with his right hand. He felt way too nervous to ask, but he wanted to badly. It was a simple question, really. All Shiro had ask was  _ Do you like me?  _ Or maybe:  _ Would you like to go out again, but as a date _ ? Such simple questions, but with so much weight in them that they could fall through the Earth.

Shiro didn’t even realize that Adam has parked until the rumbling of the car suddenly stopped and he heard the sound of Adam taking the car keys out of the ignition. Adam glanced over at him before he got out of the car, waiting for Shiro to follow behind him. 

With the nervous feeling building up in his gut, Shiro opened the car door and stepped out, careful not to hit the car that was parked next to them. Adam was standing by the trunk of the car, looking at him and waiting for him to walk over. Shiro took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. He could do this. How hard can it be? Just tell the cute guy that you like him and would like to consider maybe getting to know them better so they can properly develop a good, healthy relationship. Easy, right?

No, it wasn’t easy, but Shiro thought it would be better to get it done and over with. He’s always told Keith not to hold back when it came to Lance, so he’d be a hypocrite if he didn’t follow his own advice. Shiro figured that if me might as well tell him now, than be in Keith’s shoes, dreading day by day over his lover not returning his feels. (Even if everyone except Keith knows Lance is completely in love with him).

Shiro walked up to Adam by the trunk with pink cheeks, and the boy immediately smiled up him. “I really had fun today…”

“Me too,” Shiro smiled briefly before his nervous frown returned once again, “Uh– A-Adam. Could I… talk to you about something?”

Adam noticed the way Shiro spoke, and he looked like he was about to burst. He frowned, worry spreading across his face. “Yeah, of course. What’s wrong?”

“Um…” Shiro tried to speak, but the words couldn’t come out. He felt like if he said that he liked Adam that he’d scare him off. What if he said something less blunt and direct? Shiro would tell him eventually, but for the time being, he’ll keep it simple. “I… I think you’re… really cute…”

Shiro looked away as quietness loomed over the room. It was so silent that Shiro could hear a pin drop. Did he already mess this up? Did he ruin his chances? Did he fuck up a chance at making a nice friend? Shiro immediately regretted everything that just happened and wished he could reverse time to stop all this bullshit.

However, Shiro was surprised to hear soft giggles coming from Adam. He looked over at Adam to see him looking up at Shiro with warm eyes and a bright blush on his cheeks and traveled up to this pointy ears. Did… did Adam like it, or was he simply flattered by his comment? Did he actually do the right thing by saying he was cute?

“You’re quite adorable yourself, you know.” Adam looked up at him through his glasses.

“Am–” Shiro was at a lost of words, “Am I?”

“Yeah,” Adam giggled, his hand moved up to hide the smile, “Hey, are you doing anything next friday?”

“Uh– no. No I'm not.” Shiro shook his head.

“Why don’t we go out again?” Adam asked him with a smile. 

“Um… yeah! Yeah, I can come.”

“Perfect,” Shiro felt heat rushing through his body when Adam begin to step closer, too close. Adam pressed his smaller chest against Shiro’s and had his hands laid down against his collar bone. Standing on his toes, Adam moved his head up so that his lips were hovering over Shiro’s fluffy ear, “Meet me here next saturday at nine p.m.. Don’t worry about planning, just make sure you look good.”

Shiro opened his mouth to speak, but ended up clasping it shut when he felt Adam’s lips press against his cheek to give it a soft kiss. His lips were warm like a campfire and they were soft as they looked. Shiro’s cheeks immediately lit up and the blush covered the tips of his ears. He would’ve felt embarrassed if it weren’t for the fact that Adam smiled into the kiss and gave him another peck in the same spot before he pulled back.

“I’ll see you then,” was all that Adam said before he locked his car and turned around to walk back into the car shop, and Shiro could’ve sworn he was purposely swinging his hips like that just to tease Shiro. All that Shiro could think as Adam closed the door into the office was this:

What just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao I need more confident Adam in my life
> 
> If any of y'all get the reference I put in there you my new best friend—
> 
> Social media  
> Instagram, Tellonym, Twitter: same username (Thosespacegays)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short the next one is already so long that combining them would just be a mess

(September 7th, 3:12pm…)

“Do you think he’ll be alright?” Keith asked.

“I’m sure he’ll be okay. Shiro is a big boy.” Lance assured him with a chuckle, “Now hold still. You’re hair is a such a mess.”

It was a quiet afternoon, no different than any other day. Alfor was buried deep into his usual work, Allura was off doing who knows what it is she does all day, and the employees of the castle were busy cleaning, cooking, and everything in between. Nothing really exciting was going on at the moment. Really the only thing keeping Lance and Keith on their toes was that Shiro was still out on his date.

Lance had been laying in the middle of his bed with his limbs spread out like a starfish, while Keith was sitting in the office chair at Lance’s desk, turned around and reading a thick novel he had picked up from the library. Keith had said that he was reading to distract himself from what is plaguing Lance’s mind: boredom and how Shiro is doing. 

Keith had started to complain to him when Lance began to make random groaning noises while randomly throwing his limbs into the air, only for them to flop back onto the bed. Keith told him to find something for him to do and to stop complaining about how bored he was, but that didn’t seem to work. At least, it didn’t work for a little while.

Lance had looked over at Keith to watch him read, even if he wasn’t reading out loud, he still tried to imagine how Keith would sound reading the book out loud. Lance always saw Keith reading constantly, sometimes even seeing him read the same novel more than once. At first glance, Lance would have never taken Keith as a bookworm, but he isn’t exactly a stereotypical one. Keith just seems to like reading.

As he read, Lance noticed how Keith kept messing with his hair, and not in a fun way. Sometimes he’s tuck thick locks of hair behind his ear or move back the bangs that covered his forehead and nose. Lance even saw Keith straight up put the book down on the desk so he could flip his hair behind his shoulders and try to fix his hair up by roughly combing his fingers through it. 

“Your hair bothering you?” Lance asked out loud. He didn’t intend to say that, but he figured it wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Yeah,” Keith sighed, putting his book down a second time, “I don’t want to cut it because I like it the way it is, but…” he carefully played with it some more, “It can get a little infuriating.”

“Why don’t you just clean it up a bit?” Lance suggested, sitting up on the bed to look at him, “You know, put it on a ponytail or style it so that it isn’t in your face.”

“I…” Keith paused for a moment, looking away, “I… don’t know how to.”

Lance gasped a little too dramatically and immediately stood up from the bed, looking directly at Keith was joyful, but determined eyes, “I can do it! I used to always do Allura’s hair when I was little! I know what I’m doing here!”

Keith didn’t have much time to protest before Lance had dragged him over to the bed after getting some supplies. Now here they are: Lance sitting open legged in the middle of the bed with Keith in between, his hair tangled between Lance’s fingers as he tried his best to style it so that it fit Keith’s comfortable look, but kept his hair out of his face. 

At first, Lance thought of putting it in a ponytail, but Keith didn’t seem too happy about putting his hair up at  _ all _ . This caused Lance to have to find a way to get Keith’s hair out of the way without actually putting it up. Keith was lucky that Lance liked him so much, or he’d be a raging bull. While it was hard, Lance managed to come up with an idea that would satisfy Keith.

Lance took a large brush and began to simply comb it out, making it nice and slick as he pretty much drowned Keith’s hair in it, making it look like he just got out of the shower. When Keith had asked Lance why he did that, Lance simply chose to reply that it was necessary. And it was. Keith’s hair, or anyone’s hair, has to at least be wet and combed out before it gets styled, or even cut. 

Despite Keith’s complaints, Lance was surprised at how quiet he was when he began to style it. He simply kept his head up looked forward quietly, like a loyal soldier on guard. Keith would occasionally glance his head to the side when he felt something strange or when Lance would tug his hair too hard, and Lance would whisper a quiet apology before he turned back.

Keith began to speak up when Lance grabbed at his bangs that sat on top of his ears, “What are you doing?”

“Trust me, Keith.” Lance assured him, grabbing a hair pin so that he could place one of the chunk of locks in place, “I know what I’m doing. You’ll love it.”

Keith sighed slightly before he turned his head back and allowed Lance to continue with his work. Lance took the chunk of hair that wasn’t pinned to his head and began to braid it. Keith glanced back at Lance with a questionable look, but didn’t say anything, simply turning his head back as Lance continued with his hair.

Lance found it slightly difficult to style it the way he wanted it to, since Keith’s hair isn’t as long as Allura’s, but he managed to make it work. After adjusting the hair a bit more, and taking a comb to carefully coming out a few tangled ends, Lance moved back a little after setting the brush down to look at his work, and all he could do was grin. 

Keith’s messy multicolored hair still mostly remained down, but he used his side bangs to pull them back and braid them together into a crown. They were slightly drizzled down with and even braided into his longer hair, but it still looked beautiful. Wanting to do one final touch up, Lance took the comb and brushed a few locks one more for good measure.

“Alright, turn around and let me see,” Lance grinned from ear to ear.

Keith slowly shuffled around on bed until he was facing Lance. The Altean has to hold back his breath when he looked at Keith. He looked completely gorgeous that it took all of Lance’s energy to stop him from kissing him. He looked so completely innocent, oblivious to how Lance was feeling because of his own styling. Lance hated himself for making himself wait another damn week in order to tell him everything…

“Lance?” Keith blinked at him, “Is it good?”

Lance let out a single laugh, “Understatement of the century. You… you look amazing.”

He was surprised when Lance heard Keith gasped faintly, his furry ears pointing up towards the ceiling in shock. Lance could tell Keith wanted to do or say something, and he could see the hesitancy in his body language. Keith looked away slightly before Lance heard him mutter a quick thank you. Lance smiled gently at Keith’s shy behavior, and moved his hand forward to touch his arm, hoping it would catch Keith’s attention.

The boy looked up at him with his large, violet eyes, and Lance chuckled at him once again before he quietly spoke up, “I’ll do your hair anyday,” a pause. “It’s really soft… that’s not fair.”

Keith let out a giggle, “How is my hair being soft unfair?”

“Because even if I tried, I could never got it to be that soft,” Lance moved his hand forward to brush his fingertips gently against the side of his head, “What kind of magic are you using, Keithy?”

“The magic of conditioner, Lancey Lance.”

“Lancey Lance?” Lance smirked with a chuckle, leaning forward slightly, “I like that.”

“And Keithy isn’t such a bad nickname either,” Keith copied the smirk.

The two would have continued their little feud if not for the sound of loud, spontaneous knocking coming from the bedroom door. The two popped their heads back up look at it. The knocking continued before Lance shouted for their mysterious guest to come inside. The two looked at each in confusion, wondering if there was an emergency or something.

While it wasn’t an emergency, it was something they urgently needed to ask about when they Shiro came marching into the room, kicking the door close so loud that it echoed in the room like an empty cave. The two tried to make sense of the situation when Shiro started to pace around the room in quick circles, looking panicked and muttering the same words to himself over and over.

“Oh god,” He frequently muttered, “What just– what just happened? Oh god, oh god—!”

“Shiro, what is going on?” Keith asked him, worry and concern wiped all over his face, “Did something bad happen?”

“Sit down,” Lance said to Shiro, sounding more like a demand than a suggestion. He stood up and walked over to Shiro and pulled him by the arm over to the bed for him to sit down. When he did, Lance and Keith sat on both of his sides, concerned about what happened that had Shiro in such a state.

“What happened?” Keith asked again.

Shiro let out a long, exhausted sigh, trying to calm himself down. Before he spoke, Shiro lifted his head up to look forward. In the end, all Shiro ended up saying was, “He kissed me… he gave me a kiss…”

Lance immediately began to grin from ear to ear, while Keith just stared at Shiro with his eyes wide. Adam kissed Shiro? Already? Lance would love to get some advice from Shiro about how he was able to get Adam to kiss him already! It was either something Shiro did, or Lance just had really bad luck in the love department.

“He kissed you?” Keith stared at him, trying to process this information, “You guys have only known each other for like, two days and this is the first time you’ve went out together.”

“What did you do that drove Adam to do it?!” Lance nearly squeaked.

“I mean– I called him cute.” Shiro simply said like it was nothing.

“Why did you call him cute?!” Lance shouted, trying his best to hold back. Was Shiro really that bad at dating? Or just expressing romantic interest in any intelligent being? What kind of idiot would call their friend cute after knowing them for not even a whole week? And why would said friend show interest this soon?

“I don’t know,” Shiro sighed, throwing his head up to look at Lance, “I just asked him if I could talk to him about something and I blurted out that he was cute!”

“You said he kissed you, right?” Keith asked, carefully grabbing Shiro’s shoulder for support.

“Yeah,” As Keith and Lance gave him curious looks, Shiro smiled a little, “He kissed me, but only on my cheek… twice. He then told me to meet him back there next saturday. He said not to worry about planning, that I just need to look good.”

Lance resumed his ear to ear grin, while Keith smiled brightly at Shiro. After hearing about how Shiro had pretty much dedicated his life to work, hearing that he has a chance to find someone made Lance feel overjoyed. He can’t even imagine how excited Keith must feel about it. Keith is always encouraging Shiro to go out there and try, and seeing him do so must’ve made Keith really happy.

“We are helping you get ready. No questions asked.” Keith demanded. Lance hoped Shiro knew better than to second guess Keith’s choices.

“But, I thought you and Lance had plans together next saturday?” Shiro replied, looking over at Lance with worry.

Lance found himself drowning slowly. Shiro was right. They  _ do _ have plans this saturday. They’d be leaving by noon and won’t be back until sometime past sunset. It would be impossible for them to help Shiro with his  _ actual _ date. Would Keith not want to go because he couldn’t help Shiro? Lance frowned at the thought. He had so much planned and the idea of Keith bailing out… No. Keith wouldn’t do that. He wasn’t like that…

“Oh, right…” Keith trailed off, before looking back up at Shiro, “You should be alright. You don’t need a babysitter.”

“He sure acts like he does,” Lance’s comment caused Keith to let out a giggle, and for Shiro to roll his eyes with a grunt.

“Well, I guess the six year old will have to take his big boy steps.” Keith snickered as Shiro gently elbowed him in the side, “What? I mean, technically, you are six.”

“What do you mean technically?” Lance asked Keith, giving him a confused look.

“Don’t you dare,” Shiro immediately glared at Keith, pointing his index finger at him.

“Shiro’s birthday is on February twenty-ninth.” Keith grinned, elbowing Shiro’s side, but much harder than Shiro did, “He was born on leap year. So, technically speaking, Shiro is only six years old.”

“I am not six,” Shiro groaned, hanging his head down in defeat, “I am a twenty-five year old man.”

“Nope,” Lance shook his head stubbornly, “Takashi Shirogane, a legendary general of the Galra kingdom, is a six year old man.”

Lance and Keith let out loud laughs and high five in front of Shiro, while Shiro just hung his head in defeat, groaning like an old motor engine trying to start back up again. Keith giggled at Shiro’s reaction and Lance patted the man’s shoulder in sympathy, assuring him that they were just teasing him. Shiro still seemed annoyed but he seemed to forgive them.

“When is your birthday, Lance?” Keith suddenly asked, moving his head to look past Shiro.

“July twenty-eight.” Lance explained with a smile, looking over Shiro at Keith as well, “Turned eighteen two months ago. What about yours? If it’s coming up, I’m totally planning you a party. No questions asked.”

“No way.” Keith crossed his arms over his chest and pouted like a stubborn toddler, “The last thing I need is for you to parade around this place throwing confetti around over my birthday—”

“October twenty-third.” Shiro suddenly said, his face blank as he stared forward, “His birthday is October twenty-third.” He then looked over at Keith with a wicked smirk across his face, “Revenge  _ does _ taste best served cold.”

Keith growled slightly, his fluffy ears shooting down like an angry kitten and turning away with a pout. Lance let out a small giggle at Keith’s stubbornness and shook his head. Lance made a mental note to start planning a party with Allura, Pidge and Hunk. He knew Allura and Pidge would jump at the idea. Allura would love to help out plan everything, and Pidge would just love to find some way to make her friends suffer in the kindest way possible. 

“This doesn’t have anything to do with Shiro’s date,” Keith grumbled and shook his head with a sigh, looking over at Shiro, “Are you sure you’ll be alright without me? I know you will be alright, but… you’re a natural disaster.”

“I’ll be alright, Keith,” Shiro chuckled, patting him on the back, “You two should go and have fun. You both need it.”

“If you insist…” Keith trailed off, before looking over at Lance with a smile, “It’ll be fun… I can’t wait. One week feels too long.”

“I know. I can’t wait either.” Lance smiled back at him, “It’ll be really fun.”

“Speaking of,” Shiro looked over at Lance, “How exactly are you two going to get out? You said you’re allowed to go out whenever you’d like, but I’m sure King Alfor wouldn’t be okay with you and Keith being seen in public together. They’ve yet to make your marriage known to the public, so the prince running around the city with a mysterious Galra… wouldn’t that arouse a lot of suspicion?”

“I know,” Lance turned towards them, moving himself to that his legs were sat on the bed, “I’ve got everything planned. No one will recognize us and we will…  _ maybe _ be in and out unnoticed.”

“What do you mean  _ maybe _ ?” Shiro gave him a suspicious look.

Lance glanced around the room for a moment, before he sighed and looked up at the two boys, “Look, I have Allura covering for us and we’ll be leaving after lunch. However…”

“However?”

“Look, with everything have planned, we probably won’t get back until a little after sunset,” Shiro just stared at Lance with his eyes wide, and Lance let out a small sigh that turned into a grunt, “Look, I know, it’s bad. Really bad. But…”

“There is no way you can get away with that,” Shiro said to him, “King Alfor would be furious with you. And if King Zarkon learned about this, he’d have all of our heads on platters. What are you planning that you’re going to be out there until sunset?”

“I’m not saying.” Lance shook his head, “I… want it be a surprise.”

“What if we leave the room?” Shiro asked, glancing behind him at Keith, “Or Keith could step out for a minute?”

“I can step out, if you want.” Keith looked at Lance from behind Shiro, “If Lance planned all of this for me, and he wants this to be a surprised, so… I would rather not spoil it for myself.”

Shiro appeared uncertain for a moment, before he sighed and nodded towards the door. Without needing a word, Keith stood up and walked over toward the bedroom door. He glanced back at Shiro and Keith for only a moment before he opened the door and walked out of the bedroom, slowly closing the door behind him as he left the room.

Shiro stood up and looked down at Lance from the bed, crossing his arms across his chest as he does so, “So, what exactly are you planning on doing? I mean, not coming back until sunset? Can’t you… I don’t know, work something out? Can’t you come back a little sooner?”

“I would love to, but…” Lance looked away sadly, his eyes filled with worry, before he looked back up at Shiro, “I plan on taking Keith to this little bakery a friend owns. She used to work her and left to open her own bakery. After that, I’m taking Keith to the movies. Since he was never allowed to leave the castle, I figured he would like to go see a movie.”

“And how are you two going to be able to walk around town without anyone recognizing you?” Shiro asked him, “Yeah, for Keith, it may not be as easy for people to recognize who he is, but the people will know who you are in an instant.”

“I have a few ideas in mind.” Lance said to Shiro, looking up at him, “We could wear hoodies. It’s been getting really cold recently, and we could use to it to hide our identities. And if hoodies aren’t good enough, than I’m having Pidge get us both some spray-on hair color so it’ll be harder to recognize us.”

“I'll admit, that’s smart,” Shir paused for a moment, “What about actually getting out of the castle? Using the limos will cause a huge scene, and so will any bodyguards or extra security that will go with you.”

“I’m having a friend sneak us out. He has a car large enough for us both to fit inside. And if that doesn’t work, he has tinted windows in his car and we can easily hide under some blankets.”

“You’ve really planned this out, haven’t you?” Shiro shook his head, “What else are you two doing?”

“After the movie, I’m taking him to Petite Fleur. Got a reservation there,” Lance could tell Shiro was about to spring in, so he held up a hand to signal for him to keep quiet, “With some elbow grease, I managed to get us a private room, so no one other than the staff will know we’re there.”

“I… don’t even want to know how.” Shiro shook his head, “Is that everything?”

“One more thing… the reason I can’t make it back before sunset.” Lance took a deep breath and sighed heavily, “As you may know, there are giant hills that overlook the city. I plan on taking Keith to the closest one I can get to so we can watch the sunset.”

“Why can’t you just do that here?” Shiro asked, “You’ve done it before, haven’t you?”

“This is different,” Lance said with a serious voice, “I…” a pause, and then a sigh followed after it. Lance spoke in a quiet voice, “I… I’m planning on telling Keith my feelings for him. On that day as we watch the sunset together…”

Shiro didn’t reply, and Lance was too scared to look up and see Shiro’s reaction. Was he going to be mad at him? Maybe he still likes Keith and is scared of losing him, so he won’t let them go? Is Shiro upset that they’re going to be put past sunset over a stupid love confession? Why the hell won’t Shiro just speak up already and say he doesn’t approve??

Lance looked up at Shiro when he heard a long, annoyed sigh. Shiro leaned his head down to pinch the space between his eyebrows, “Under normal circumstances, I would never allow such a thing, but…” he moved his hand to look down at Lance, “I’ll let you get away with this just this once. You two need to hurry up and get together before Allura forces you to.”

“D-Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t know if we will, but…” He looked up at Shiro hopefully, “You’re really going to let us go?”

“Yes,” Shiro nodded, “I’ll plan up with Allura, Pidge, and Hunk to help cover for you two. I want you two to get back here as soon as you can. The sooner the better. We’ll try to keep the king and the other guards fooled for as long as we can, but we can’t fool them for long.”

“Thank you, Shiro, really…” Lance smiled gratefully, “This… means a lot.”

“I know,” Shiro chuckled a little, “Go out there and have fun,” he smirked slightly, “Make sure you show Keith a good time.”

“I will, but  _ not _ like that,” Lance giggled slightly before moving over to sit at the edge of the bed, “Now go let Keith back in.”

As Shiro walked over towards the bedroom door and opened it back up, all the doubts Lance was having about the day kept plaguing Lance’s mind. Will they even be able to get out unnoticed? And even if they did, would Keith even like the things they’ll do? Maybe he doesn’t like sweets. What if he hates the zoo, or animals overall? He might hate the nice, fancy food that Luke’s restaurant serves. Maybe he won’t like the sunset, what if he—

Lance’s flurry thoughts of doubt were interrupted when he felt a giant body slam into his side and hug him tightly. He looked up to see it was Keith, who was grinning from ear to ear. His violet eyes were filled with warmth and joy and his ears were perked up like an excited puppy. He looked up at Shiro and what Lance assumed to be thanking him before he gave Lance another squeeze, making his heart pop out of his chest.

“I can’t wait,” Keith smiled at him, “This’ll be really fun. I could use some time out of… well, any castle for once. I needed this.”

Lance blushed at Keith’s words before he leaned closer to Keith. He wanted to cherish every last moment with Keith before they go out together. This is why he wanted to do the confession last. If Keith really didn’t feel the same way as Lance did, than Lance wanted to at least move on in life with one memory of the best day he ever had with Keith, but also the day that could make or break his heart for the rest of his life. 

He knew that he needed to have more confidence, but Lance knew that he was taking a huge risk by doing all of this, in many ways. He would risk their relationship with King Zarkon by letting their son go out of the castle. lance could risk hearing a long, annoying scolding from his father if they get caught, and who knows what kind of punishment Alfor would give. The worst of all, however, was that he was risking his relationship with Keith.

That day could end with the two of them happily in love as they watch the sunset, or with a friendship completely ruined forever by something as dumb as love. Lance wanted to cherish that friendship forever, for it was more than he could ever ask for. However, Lance knew he couldn't. He needed to tell Keith then or never.

Lance could either keep their valuable friendship, or watch as Keith moves on to fall in love with someone else. And to Lance, he would much rather ruin their friendship for the rest of their lives, than watch his lover be with someone but him. It was simply a risk he had to take. Neither of the, would get anywhere in life if they just hide the truth like this.

Lance would tell him that evening. And he will accept his answer, no matter how horrible and painful it will be to bear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith sneak out next chapter!! Yay UwU  
> What do you think will happen?
> 
> Social media:  
> IG, Tumblr, Tellonym: ThoseSpaceGays
> 
> Update every other Friday!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eveyone: ALSKALSKSK SOMETHING BAD IS GONNA HAPPEN TO KEITH AND LANCE AKDKZKSKSKSK  
> Me, who loves fluff and love and rainbows: haha

(September 15th, 12:11pm…)

Keith began to feel excited beyond words when their plates from lunch were being picked up to be cleaned, and when King Alfor dismissed everyone from the table. Everyone at the table, other than Alfor, knew what tha5 meant, and what was about to unfold here in the next few minutes. Keith felt so overjoyed that he had to pull off his best poker face during lunch so that King Alfor didn’t get any kinds of ideas of what might happen.

It was finally saturday. In other words, it was the day Keith and Lance were going out for the day. While Keith always saw himself as an understanding, obedient child, which he most of the time was, he too has had thoughts and ideas about rebelling or sneaking out. With his father giving him so much free will as a child, he never really had the proper motivation to rebel until he was older. In this situation, it was hard to look at it as rebelling. All they were doing was going out without any security, and shamelessly walking around town like the own the place. 

So maybe it did sound a little like rebelling, but ideas of what is considered what was the last thing on Keith’s mind at the moment. All he could focus on was the adrenaline running through him, questioning what they had in-store for today. Lance seems to refuse to tell Keith anything, claiming that he wanted it to be a surprise. When Keith tried to get Shiro to spill the beans about what they were doing, all Keith could get out of Shiro were two things:

He was definitely going to have a great time and that he was going to walking away from this day happier than he ever has been before.

Keith ended up brainstorming all week about what his words meant. Of course, the first one met that Lance had planned things that, at least in Shiro’s opinion, Keith was going to enjoy. Knowing Lance, he probably spent extra time debating his planning and made sure everything was perfect. Lance seemed like the kind of guy that was careful with planning, at least when it came to something he felt really devoted and interested it.

The second one was what got Keith very confused. He will walk away from this day happier than he has been? What is that suppose to mean? Shiro is making this whole thing sound like Lance is going to end world hunger or something like that. What was Lance going to do that will make Keith happier than ever? Buy him a mansion? Get him something nice? Kiss him???

So maybe that last one was a bit of a stretch, but it definitely would make Keith feel happier than he ever has been. For the time being, the day before Keith remained a mystery, and the question of what was going to make Keith really happy would not be solved until the end of the day. The idea of having to wait for his answers dreaded him, but Keith wasn’t going to let it ruin his fun. This was their day.

Lance leaned over towards the side Keith was on and whispered quietly in his ear, “You ate lightly, didn’t you?”

Keith rolled his eyes. This morning before they were heading off to lunch, Lance has told him to not eat a lot of his food, at least not so much that he’d feel full. Keith drew the conclusion that Lance was taking him out to some food place, like a cafe, but not something big like a restaurant for lunch. Lance wanted Keith to eat, but to save some room for more food.

“Yeah, I did. Don’t worry, Lance.” Keith assured him with a slight shoulder nudge.

Lance smiled at him with a faint chuckle, before they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind them. Keith and Lance both looked behind their chairs to see Allura and Shiro walking up to them. Both of them instantly knew what they were going to talk about, so they almost simultaneously stood up from their seats and met them halfway there.

Shiro was the first speak up, but “You guys are leaving soon, right?”

“Yeah, after we change and get all that we need.” Lance replied.

“You said that you had a friend at the castle that was going to get the two of you out unnoticed?” Allura asked them with a confused look.

“Yeah. His shift ends at noon so he’ll be leaving anyways.” Lance smirked slightly, “He will be taking us back, too. He parked the car in the shop, where none of the castle’s own security cameras are at. We’ll get in from there, and he’ll take us out. When we come back, he’ll say that something happened to the car while he was out and needs Sam to look at it again.”

Keith blinked stupidly at Lance after that lengthy explanation. He was right; Lance did plan out every little aspect of this, and was really good at it. Has Lance done something like this before? He had been briefly informed by Allura that Lance used to sneak out all the time in his early teens, but never gone as far out into the city as they were today.

“You are truly a mastermind, Lance,” Allura shook her head like she was disappointed in him, “Shiro wasn’t kidding when he said you thought out every detail of this.”

“Thanks… I think.” Lance chuckled a little at Allura's behavior, “Everything is planned out. While some things are out of our control, we could get away with this like it never happened. How are things with Hunk and Pidge? You all collabed on ways to cover for us?”

“We’ll mostly be saying that you two are spending the day in your rooms,” Shiro explained as he gestures to Allura, “Allura will be your alibi for when they get suspicious about you two being in your room. Pidge and Hunk have come up with the idea of where else you guys may be at if they discover you aren’t there.”

“They said to tell them things like  _ I saw Keith heading off to the library not too long ago _ .” Allura continued, “It makes sense that they would question us first, since we are closer to you and are with you most of the time, so they’d think that we might’ve seen you. We’ll be leading them on a wild goose chase over some people that aren’t even here.”

“Our final course of action is to make fake bodies and put them in your bed,” Shiro rolled his eyes slightly, then pointed to Allura, “It was her idea.”

“You should always have backup plans,” the princess placed her hands on her hips and gave Shiro a look before turning back to Keith and Lance, “That is our last course of action in case things go south too soon. Like Shiro said, we’ll do things like make a fake body to make it look like you’re sleeping, or turn on the shower so that it looks like one of you is taking a shower.”

“That’s foolproof,” Lance snickered.

“Does everyone in the Altean royal family act this maniacal?” Keith blinked at them, particularly at Lance. 

“Yes.” The two siblings said at the same time, causing the group to let out a roar of laughs.

“You two better get ready,” Shiro said to them, interrupting their laughter, “The sooner you leave, the sooner you two can get back.”

“Doesn’t matter what time we leave,” Lance rolled his eyes, “But… yeah. We should get going soon.” He turned to Keith, “Come on.”

Keith simply nodded before Lance lead them out of the dining hall and into the hallway back to their bedroom. Since Keith was behind Lance, and the boy couldn’t see the other’s face, Keith allowed himself to grin brightly, and for the exciting ideas of what to come for today fill Keith’s head. Lance had taken the time to plan out everything for their day together. The whole idea make Keith’s heart flutter in his chest and his cheeks warm up. Keith couldn’t help but feel flattered by the thought.

Being snapped out of his thoughts, Keith glanced up when he saw Lance open their bedroom door and move out of the way for Keith to walk into the room first. Keith smiled at him and gave him a quiet thanks before he walked into the bedroom, with Lance quickly following behind after he closed the bedroom door. Keith turned around to see what Lance wanted him to do, but the boy immediately walked past him deeper into the bedroom.

Keith quirked his brow and lowered one of his ears in confusion as Lance walked over to his dresser. Walking over to him, Keith looked down at Lance as the boy pulled open the third drawer and began to dig through it. After reaching into the very back of the drawer, Lance pulled out a variety of different items that were hidden under the piles of clothing that occupied the drawer.

The first few items were the hoodies Lance has described earlier. One of them was a bright turquoise with white strings, while the other was a deep red color and was a little smaller than the turquoise one. They must’ve been the hoodies Lance wanted them to wear once they go out in public. While Keith thought it was a good idea, wouldn’t people still be able to see them even with the hoods on? Someone would surely recognize them if they were to look at them for long enough.

Keith soon realized that Lance had indeed thought about that when he noticed the other items Lance pulled out. In his arms with the hoodies was colored hair spray. From what Keith could see, one of them was the color brown and the other was black. Would they be putting the spray in their hair? It was a good idea; the different colored hair would help definitely disguise them more from the public eye. Of course, they’d still be slightly noticeable, but different colored hair would still help them at least a little.

Lance stood up from his place and beckoned for Lance to follow him into the bathroom. With a small nod, Keith walked behind Lance as the boy closed the bathroom door and he set their items on top of the sink counter and turned back towards Keith with the black colored hair spray in his hands and a large hand rag in the other.

“Take off your top and sit at the edge of the bathtub,” Lance simply said to him.

“W-What?!” Keith yelped a little more loudly than he thought, “Why?”

“So I can spray your hair, silly.” Lance smiled and chuckled at Keith’s flustered reaction, “We don’t want to get your clothes ruined, and we can easily wash it out in the bathtub later.”

“O-Oh, okay…” Keith blushed at the request, but complied nonetheless. Keith reached down to his his bright pink-purple vest and grabbed onto the zipper and zipped down to the bottom of the vest. Once the vest it was opened, Keith shrugged it off and allowed it to flop onto the floor. Reaching down to the tip of his tight, dark grey top, Keith lifted his shirt off over his head and threw it into the pile, revealing his naked torso to Lance. Keith blushed vibrantly as he stood there, bare-chested in front of Lance in their bathroom.

Lance seemed quiet for a moment, but Keith couldn’t tell as Lance quickly spoke up and turned towards the bathtub, “Go on, sit down and I’ll put this into your hair…”

“Right…” Keith nodded quickly and walked over to the bathtub and sat down at the edge of it, his feet sitting within the bathtub. Keith sighed a little as he felt Keith drape the hand rag around his shoulders and the sound of Lance shaking the spray in his other hand. After adjusting the rag once more, Lance moved the spray over to Keith’s hair and began to spray every inch of Keith’s multicolored hair thoroughly.

Keith took a deep breath as Lance would occasionally bury his fingers in his hair, or whenever Lance’s hot knuckles would brush against his shoulder blades. Even if Lance was just putting this stuff into his hair, the fact that Keith was sitting in the bathroom with his chest bare was making Keith feel a thousand times more flustered and warm than he should feel…

Ideas of… other things that could be happening in this situation began to flood Keith’s mind. Every time the back Lance’s hand brushed against him, Keith thinks about Lance’s lips placing delicate kisses on Keith’s neck, his own naked chest pressed against Keith’s back. Every time Lance’s long, delicate fingers brushed through his hair, Keith thought of Lance pulling his hair back, leaning down to—

“There, all finished.” Lance pulled back to look down at Keith with a smile, “Take a look in the mirror.”

Keith shook his head at the sound of Lance’s voice, removing any of those thoughts from his head. This crush was getting really bad… Keith’s never had those kind of thoughts before. He had daydreamed about the two of them cuddling in their bed, giving each other warm hugs and lazy kisses, but never anything this…  _ lewd _ . While the thoughts surprised Keith, they weren’t really… inaccurately depicting what Keith wanted, at least not entirely. 

With a small nod, Keith stood up from the bathtub and walked over the the mirror that hung over the sink. Keith nearly didn’t recognize himself with the black hair once he gazed into the mirror. The black hair definitely blended in more with his darker skin, and Keith felt like people wouldn’t recognize him immediately, since Keith’s unique hair was probably his most iconic and noticeable trait. 

“It looks good,” Lance moved to stand next to Keith with a grin, “Now, you have to spray mine.”

Keith moved his head to the side to see Lance moving back a few steps. Keith nearly gasped when Lance began to immediately reach for his shirt and pull it over his head. When Lance put the top with Keith’s, the Galra has to hold back to urge to bite his lip at the sight of Lance’s bare chest. Despite Lance’s supposed lanky figure, the large muscles was obviously visible. He had a large chest and Keith could’ve swore that Lance had a noticeable six-pack. Lance looked so good… so good that Keith had to avert his gaze over towards the spray and the hand rag before he was caught staring.

“J-Just go over to the tub and I’ll spray it in…” Keith grabbed the two items and gestured towards the tub.

With a small nod, Lance walked over to wear Keith had been sitting and sat down on the same spot, patiently waiting for Keith. With a small sigh, Keith walked over to where Lance was sitting and threw the rag onto Lance’s shoulder. Holding the spray bottle in his hands, Keith began to violently shake the bottle and held the spray to Lance’s hair before he pushed down onto the spray and began to spray at Lance’s hair. Keith digged his fingers into that pure white hair whenever he had to spray another area, and Keith found himself grasping a little too hard whenever he got a hold of it. 

Lance seemed to take notice of Keith’s actions, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to look at Keith, but he would turn back immediately to look back at the wall. After making sure that he got every inch of the hair covered, Keith pulled back and looked down at Lance with a small smile, “Well, there you go. I think it looks good on you.”

Lance stood up and walked over to the mirror. Lance didn’t seem to react at all for a moment before a bright grin decorated his face, “Woah, it looks good! No one will recognize us!”

“There’s still a chance they will, you know.” Keith shook his head as he placed the spray and rag on top of the counter, “We’ll still have to be careful out there.”

“Don’t worry too much about it.” Lance smiled a little as he walked over to their clothes piled on the floor and picked them up, holding them in him his arms, “Our activities won’t be in the most heavily public places. They’re pretty secluded, so we won’t have to be too careful.” He smiled at Keith, “Try to relax and have fun today, okay?”

Keith was a little surprised at Lance’s words, and was curious about what they were doing that had them hidden from large crowds, but Keith smiled at him nonetheless and spoke softly, “Alright. Let’s have fun today.”

Lance grinned immediately at his response, hid eyes filled with warmth, “That’s the spirit. Now, come on! Let’s get some clean shirts on and hit the road!”

As Lance happily skipped past him back into the bedroom, Keith shook his head with a soft smile, his cheeks heating up at the idea of what will unfold for the rest of the day. With a small, lovestruck sigh, Keit walked back into the bedroom with Lance, his heart aching in his chest

-

(12:29pm…)

As the two boys made their way over to the parking garage, Lance found himself feeling incredibly nervous… for about the twentieth time today. Lance couldn’t help it; he just wanted everything today to be perfect. Even if the entire day went crashing down into hell by the very end of it, Lance wanted to at least have some good memories with Keith before their entire lives changed, whether for the worst or the best.

With a slight huff, Lance opened the door to the stairs for Keith and followed behind the boy once he entered the room. After climbing down a few flight of stairs, they made it to the floor where the parking garage was and the two boys walked through the large metal door to enter the parking garage, the area as silent as it always is. Cars with a variety of shapes and colors we’re scattered within the spaces, but not a single Altean was to be seen.

Walking in like they owned the placed, Lance and Keith walked over to the car shop, where the large garage was already opened up for them, with a black eight-seater car sitting in the middle of the large room. A young Altean with caramel skin and bright red hair that was slicked back and shaved on the sides and back. His name was Neylon and he was about a few years older than Lance was, but he was still a great guy nonetheless and Lance was glad he was helping them. 

Lance grinned as he walked over to Neylon, who smiled back when he noticed the two boys approaching, “Hey, Lance. ‘Bout time you showed up. I was thinking you were planning on abandoning this whole thing.”

“With all the shit I had to do to plan for today?” Lance snorted out a laugh at Neylon’s statement, “No way in hell would I cancel it.”

Neylon shook his head with a smile before he looked up and saw Keith standing behind him, looking everywhere except at Lance or Neylon, “So, is this Keith?”

Keith’s ears pointed up in surprise before he smiled a little and allowed himself to step in front of Lance to show himself to Neylon, “H-Hello. I’m Prince Keith…”

Neylon seemed surprised for a moment before he smirked slightly, “Oh. I’m Neylon. I work here as a chauffeur.” To both of their surprise, Neylon took Keith’s left hand before lowering his lips down to place a gentle kiss against his knuckles, “It’s lovely to meet you, your highness.”

Keith’s cheeks turned a warm color at Neylon’s gesture, and Lance found himself literally growling at Neylon before he created a fist with his hand and hit Neylon on the head. Neylon yelped when a surge of pain zapped through his head and he lifted his head up to rub at the spot Lance had hit. He pouted slightly as Lance snickered at his childish behavior.

Lance found himself smirking more when he saw Keith look up at Lance with warm eyes as he began to giggle at Lance’s behavior. God, why did Keith always look so cute, no matter where he is or what time it was? From his adorable bedhead from when he wakes up in the morning, to the soft, sleepy look in his eyes whenever they get ready for bed. Every inch of Keith made Lance’s heart warm up, and he was happy to be able to cherish every inch of him.

“Now now, Neylon.” Lance waged his index finger from side to side like a scolding parent, “You need to cool down that flirting meter of yours.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Neylon chuckled before he leaned into Lance’s ear with a slight smirk, and he spoke softly, “You got lucky. He’s  _ really _ cute.”

Neylon’s response was a hard elbow to the side, which caused him to gasp for air for a second before he chuckled softly, standing up completely and putting his hands on his hips, “Anyways… So, a little birdie told me that the two of you needed a way to sneak out of the castle unnoticed. That a lot to ask of me, you know,” he smirked teasingly, “Sneaking out not one, but two royal  princes.”

“You  _ can _ do it, right?” Keith asked him hopefully.

“He better,” Lance crossed his arms across his chest, “Otherwise, he would be a liar.”

“Oh, I assure you, darling,” Neylon smirked down at Keith, “I can whisk you two out of the castle like you never even left the place! It is quite simple work, I assure you.” He gestured over towards his car, “I’ve brought my brother’s eight seater car. You two shall get into the very back seat and duck down so that no one can see you.”

“It even has tinted windows…” Keith pointed out, slowly approaching the car to get a better look at it, “That’ll provide us some extra security, as well.”

“You have a keen eye, your highness,” Neylon smirked, moving to stand besides Keith, “That’s part of the reason I asked my brother if I could borrow his car. Even if you will be hiding behind the seats, I wanted to be sure you both would be hidden.” The older Altean quickly wrapped his arms around Keith’s shoulders, fast enough that it seemed casual, “I assure you, your highness, I will make sure that you and Prince Lance safely get back home without any trouble.”

Lance found himself growling again at Neylon’s flirtatious behaviors. He should have anticipated this; Neylon has always been the loverboy type. While said Altean has said the same thing about Lance, he was  _ nothing _ compared to Neylon. He would flirt with anyone and anything if he found them attractive. And currently, Neylon was finding Keith attractive, and Lance wasn’t pleased. If perhaps Neylon dared wrapped his arm around Keith’s hip, or even lower than that, Lance would’ve lost it, and probably would have skipped the confession and straight up kissed Keith right then and there.

When Neylon removed his arm from Keith after he gave him a quick thanks, Lance relaxed a little. The last thing Lance wanted was for Keith to fall for Neylon’s flirting before Lance even had a chance to win over Keith’s affections. Neylon knew all too well what Lance’s plans for today were, and Lance was ten seconds away from taking Keith away and finding their own way out of the castle.

“Well, let us not waste a minute,” Neylon smiled at them, “Let’s get you two into this bad boy.”

Turning around, Neylon opened the door to the back seats before he grabbed hold of a lever on the side of the seat in the middle and pushed the seat forward so that Keith and Lance could get into the back seats. As Keith approached closer to the car to get inside, Neylon offered his hand to Keith to help him inside the car. The Galra eyes the hand for a moment before he hesitantly took it and allowed Neylon to help him into the back seat. 

Lance let out a long breath to try and keep his anger under control. Neylon was just helping Keith into the car… It was not a big deal. With a long, exhausted sigh, Lance walked over to the car and allowed himself to step into the car. Before he got into the car, Lance glared down at Neylon and he leaned down to speak to him without Keith hearing.

“You are playing a dangerous game here, hot-shot.” Lance practically growled at him.

“I can’t help that he’s cute,  _ your highness _ .” Neylon smirked at him, but then let out a cute chuckle, “I’m teasing you.” A pause, and his voice dropped lower, “Look, I can tell from the way he reacted to my flirting that he wasn’t interested. That, and that he is totally into you. Like, he’s  _ really _ into you, Lance.”

“The teasing was annoying, but this is just cruel.” Lance sighed, keeping his voice low, “I really I doubt that he does…”

“You are both idiots.” Neylon shook his head, but he looked up at Lance with a smile, “Just have fun, okay? And good luck.”

Lance smiled at him in return before thanking him. With a small huff, Lance jumped into the back seat and crouched down to where Keith was, curled up near the farest seat. With a quick warning, Neylon grabbed the side of the opened seat and pushed it back to it’s formal place. Lance and Keith were left with barely any space for them to sit in, causing both boys to curl their legs up to their chest. The position was extremely uncomfortable, but it was better than having to sit in their seats and lean down once they got out of the castle.

The boys flinches slightly when they heard the sound of one of the car doors opening. The door was quickly shut before they heard a soft grunt from Neylon. With a quick turn of the car key, the car hummed to life like a purring cat, and within seconds the car began to back out of the shop’s garage. With a quick turn of the car, the vehicle began to make it’s depart out of the parking garage.

As the car rumbled down the road, Lance found himself glancing over at Keith. He clearly looked uncomfortable in the position he was in, hell, Lance wasn't feeling too comfortable right now either. However, there was something else that was off about Keith. His cheeks were heated up and he seemed to be looking at everything except Lance. Was it because he was feeling claustrophobic, or was there some other unknown reason for Keith’s nervousness?

Regardless, Lance kept his gaze down at his feet as the car slowly rumbled down the concrete road and out of the parking garage. Being in such close proximity to Keith was definitely nerve-wracking, but it was necessary. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to get out of the castle undetected. It was only going to last for a few minutes… it’ll be alright.

Suddenly, Neylon’s voice ran in the car, his voice filled with worry, “Oh shit— Watch out! Speedbump!”

The warning gave them barely enough time before the car harshly jumped over the speed bump as though it were attempting a stunt. The two boys jumped slightly in their seat, and while Lance hardly moved from his seat, nothing more than maybe a faint jump, Keith fell forward slightly…  _ right _ between Lance’s opened legs.

Lance looked down at Keith and blinked at him stupidly, feeling completely unsure of what to do or how to feel about the situation he was in. All he could do was blush bright and stare down at the boy between his legs. After a few seconds of processing the situation, Keith yelped before he scurried back over to his spot, his blush so bright that it spread to the boy’s shoulders and the flurry tips of his ears.

Lance’s heart was pounding in his chest so loudly Lance could’ve sworn it was trying to pop out of his chest. While all in all Lance wouldn’t mind being in that situation again, but right now… was not the best time for Lance’s heart to be all over the place. Letting out a long breath, Lance tried his best to recover from the awkward situation before their day together was already ruined by a simple accident. 

When a brighter light began to shine through the car, they quickly knew they were outside of the parking garage, now heading down the road that goes around the castle. Before they could leave, however, they had to get past the toll. It was there mostly there for precautionary purposes, making sure that whoever is leaving the castle is an authorized personnel, such as an employee or one of the drivers. It was the only gate they had to go through before they were completely out of the castle for good. They just had to keep quiet…

The car slowly halted to a stop, signaling that they were at the toll booth. Lance quickly put his index finger over his lip to signal to Keith to stay quiet, and he replied with a silent nod. The boys could barely register the conversation that Neylon and the man working at the toll were talking about it, but it was something about how Neylon’s car was supposedly at the shop and he was borrowing his brother’s, and that he would be back later to check up on it. It was mostly the truth, and it gave Neylon a good excuse as to why he should come back. He was good at this…

With a quick nod, the Altean at the toll lifted up the pole and the car was able to slowly drive off of the Altean castle’s proper and onto the main roads like it was no one’s business. Lance felt completely shocked by this, figuring that it wouldn’t be this easy to sneak the two of them out of the castle. And yet, here they are, waiting by the end of the road for the car to turn into the large, bustling capital city of the Altean kingdom. 

When Lance looked over at Keith, he was surprised to see the Galra smiling. His legs were pulled up to his chest as Keith hugged them there, and the side of his cheek was pressed against his knees, but Lance could still see that smile that was so rare for Keith to show around others. It was also so small, yet the look in his eyes when he makes that smile is filled with so much emotion that Lance can’t even begin to describe. It’s like he’s trying to tell the person that he was genuinely happy to be spending time with them. And yet… Lance found himself seeing that smile nearly every day.

Lance didn’t even realize he was staring until Keith glanced up at him and raised his head slightly when he saw Lance already looking back at him. Lance’s eyes widened for a moment before he simply chuckled and gave Keith a smile. Keith appeared surprised for a moment before he smiled back at Lance, the same smile had had before. Lance felt like the entire car started to glow once Keith smiled. The boy’s smile was always so rare and special, and he hardly saw him smile when they weren’t alone together. Even if it was just Shiro with them, he never smiled at him like that.

That little detail was the one thing that kept Lance’s hopes up for today. It was like the smiling was assuring him that there was still a chance, reminding him that he meant something to Keith. He only ever showed that smile to Lance, and Lance alone. It felt like it was a sign of their bond was how much stringer it has gotten. If Keith was willing to show such a rare smile to only him, it had to mean something, right? Lance could only hope and pray that it were the case… or Lance isn’t sure if he could go on.

After a handful of minutes of driving around the city, the car halted to a slow stop at the edge of the sidewalk in a small parking space that was available nearby. Keith and Lance both simultaneously looked up when the car stopped, curious to see if they had reached their destination yet. After hearing Neylon’s voice, Lance grinned from ear to ear.

“Alright, Lance. Here we are.” Neylon said as he took the keys out of the ignition and began to open his car door, “I won’t be able to take you to the other places, so you’ll either have to walk or call a taxi.”

As Neylon opened the side door and politely pushed the car seat open so the boys could get out, Lance grinned at him, “I can’t thank you enough for this, Neylon. This… really means a lot.”

“I know,” Neylon smirked as the boys got out of the car, “It’s no problem, really. However, you definitely owe me one for this.”

“I know.” Lance shook his head with a smile, “Just let me know when you want me to return the favor.”

“Thanks for doing this, Neylon.” Keith suddenly joined in, looking up at the Altean, “I really appreciate it…”

Neylon was quiet for a few seconds before he smirked and gave Keith a few pats on the shoulders, “Of course, buddy. Just have fun on your day out, alright?” Neylon turned towards the car, “I don’t want to ruin your fun, so I’ll leave you two to do your thing.” He glanced over at Lance, “I’ll be _you know where_ at _you know what_ _time_.”

Keith seemed confused by what Neylon meant by that, but Lance simply nodded at his words before the boys said their goodbyes to Neylon. After pulling out of the spot onto the road, the boys turned away from the road when they saw the black car turn on it’s turn signal and took a left turn down another busy road.

Lance turned to Keith and smiled down at him, “You ready for the best day of your life, kitty cat?”

Keith let out a small laugh at the sudden new nickname, but didn’t say anything other than, “You bet your ass I am, lover boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao I never got to thank you guys for all the suggestions you gave me for filler chapters  
> I’ve recently started using a few of the ideas so I’ll make sure I mention y’all when the time comes,, but that’ll be a while lol
> 
> Anyways,, sorry this chapter is so short and has literally no content the next chapter is,, oof,,, like REALLY LONG  
> Like oml how did I even write all of this  
> So you’ll get a longer one soon!
> 
> In other news, I made a linktree! It’ll have the social media I use the most so yay  
> Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thosespacegays


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sips tea* don’t we all love being too lazy to edit the chapter as well as forgetting which one in this arc is the nearly 15,000+ word chapter

(September 15th, 12:52pm…)

“Is this the first place?” Keith asked as he looked up at the shop’s logo.

“This is the place,” Lance smiled at him, “Don’t worry, you’ll love it. It has the best pastries I’ve ever tasted. And the day is still young, so we still have plenty more to do.”

Keith smiled a little as he saw he large sign hanging above the door of their first destination. The sign read “Plaxum’s treats” and was painted in bright pastel colors, matching the colors of not only the exterior of the building itself, but also the color scheme of the wallpapers and tables in the place itself, at least from what Keith can see from the tall windows. The place looked really cute, and it appeared to be a local business exclusively in the Altean kingdom.

When they opened the door to walk inside, they were greeted with a small bell that alerted the people in the shop of their arrival, causing the boys to throw their hoods on to keep themselves hidden from the people inside. The place was a little more crowded than usual due to the lunch rush, but no one seemed to take a second glance at the two new patrons that entered the bakery. 

There were only a few people in line by the one Altean working at the register. The two boys shrugged and made their way to the back of the line and patiently waited for people to order their food and pay. The place was mostly made up of Alteans, and Keith figured it would be the case if this place really was a local business. Most tourists wouldn’t even be aware of places like this, mostly going to more broad and known places that are built in all four kingdoms. Keith, personally, preferred local places like this that made the city more unique compared to other cities.

When the two boys got to the front of the counter, they were greeted by a young Altean that was about the same age as them. She has bright pink hair and pale skin, with a thick chunk of hair in the middle of her hair being completely white. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she wore regular clothes with an apron that has the bakery’s logo imprinted on the large side pocket. She seemed particularly cheerful when Keith and Lance walked up to them.

“Welcome to Plaxum’s Treats!” The Altean smiled at them, “What can I get you today?”

“Aw, come on, Florona.” Lance spoke softly to not try and cause too much attention, “You don’t even recognize me like  _ this _ ?”

Florona stared at Lance for at least a solid two or three seconds before her dark blue eyes widened and her brows shot up in surprise. She grinned brightly and from what Keith could tell, Florona has to stop herself from physically jumping up and down in excitement, resorting to standing on and off of her toes like she  _ was _ jumping. Her eyes shined in excitement as she spoke her next words, but she kept quiet as to not alert anyone.

“Prince Lance? Is it really you?” She asked cheerfully.

“Yeah, it is.” Lance shook his head, “I’m glad you at least remember me.”

“Of course I do!” Florona cheered, but still kept her voice low as to not disturb the customers, “Me and Plaxum met you when we brought catering to your sixteenth birthday party! It’s been too long, Lance. You should really come into the shop more often!”

“I would if I could,” Lance replied, “Today, however, I brought a little friend with me today.”

Florona glanced over at Keith, seeming to hardly notice that someone else was with Lance. Keith felt a little nervous being put on the spot like this, but he gave Florona a small wave as Lance introduced him, “This is my friend, Keith. I’m taking him on a little day out. This just so happens to be our first destination. Just… make sure you keep this whole thing a secret.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Keith.” Florona smiled brightly at him, “This is your first time here?”

“Y-Yeah, it is.” Keith nodded, “While I’ve been in the Altean kingdom for some time now, I haven’t had many opportunities to explore the capital. I hardly know anything about the city…”

“Lance knows this place by heart, so I’m sure you’ll be alright.” Florona assured him, “That being said: Why can I get for you boys today?”

Keith suddenly began to feel unsure after Florona’s question. He glanced up at the menu hanging above them, wondering what he should get. There were several items for a variety of things like bread, cupcakes, and even cake orders. Keith glanced over at Lance, and he could tell that he already knew what he wanted. Keith trusted Lance’s judgement, so her turned over to him to look up at him.

“What do you suggest?” Keith asked him.

Lance immediately grinned, “I know exactly what you need.” The boy turned back towards the counter, smirking at Florona, “Give us two Plaxum Specials.”

“Coming right up!” Florona smiled at the boys before she reached down under the counter to pull out two exquisite-looking cupcakes that were on display in a glass window. She wrapped the two cupcakes up before she ran Lance’s order up. After pulling out the money out of his wallet to pay, Lande grabbed the cupcakes and Lance lead Keith over to a small table in the back corner of the bakery. 

Keith sat across from Lance and patiently waited as the boy unfolded the cupcakes and handed ons over to Keith. The boy looked down at the cupcake with interest, wondering how it would taste. The cupcake itself was vanilla with blue and white frosting neated decorated on top of it with black wrapping. Judging from Lance’s overly excited reaction to the cupcake, Keith figured that it must’ve been good.

Taking off the wrapper, Keith lifted the cupcake up to his lips and took a small bite of the cake as Lance watched in anticipation. Keith’s eyes widen in surprise after taking the bite. The cupcake was… surprisingly good,  _ really _ good. Keith could understand now why Lance wanted him to get this, because it was delicious beyond words! Before he even had time to think, Keith was spontaneously taking several more bites of the cupcake within seconds, grinning as he did so.

“Woah, Keith,” Lance giggled at Keith’s behavior, reaching out to touch his arm, “Slow down of you’ll choke on it.”

“S-Sorry, It’s just…” Keith looked up at him, “This is the best cupcake I think I’ve ever had.”

“I know, right?” Lance smiled at him, “They have the best pastries in town. I’ve never tasted a better cupcake than theirs. I thought that you would’ve like to try them.”

“It’s amazing.” Keith smiled back at him, “Thanks for bringing me here. Wait, no— just… thanks for doing all of this. I’ve always felt so isolated and alone, even as a child. Just being able to go out into town and spend time together… it means a lot. And I’m sure the rest of the day is going to be really fun. So just… thank you.”

Anxious thoughts began to flood in Keith’s mind when Lance was silent, just staring at him with wide eyes and eyebrows shot up. Did he say something wrong? He was just thanking Lance for taking him out… that wasn’t wrong, was it? Or did Lance think he was lying? Keith was telling the truth from the first sentence to the last. He really did appreciate Lance doing this and putting all this time and planning into this day, and Keith just wanted to thank Lance for everything he’s done. Was he upset?

Keith eventually got his answer when Lance smiled fondly at him and stood up. Unexpectedly, Lance walked over to Keith, bent down to his level and wrapped him up in a warm, loving hug. Keith was surprised by Lance’s sudden hug, but he still smiled and allowed himself to wrap his arms around Lance’s back tightly like he would disappear if he let go. The hug was warm and Keith could’ve sworn that the other patrons stared at them, but Keith didn’t care in that moment as Lance had his arms were wrapped tightly around him, almost as tightly as Keith.

“It’s no problem, Kitty.” Lance whispered softly in his ear with a slight giggle, “I wanted to take you out. So just try to have fun.”

Keith giggled into Lance’s ear at the nickname again, “What’s up with that nickname? ‘Kitty’? Where did you even get that idea from?”

“From your adorable ears, duh.” Lance slowly moved his hand up to brush the side of Keith’s left ear with his thumb, causing Keith’s cheeks to warm up, “They remind me of little kitten ears…”

Keith was completely shocked at Lance’s bold move, unsure of what drove him to do that. He couldn’t control the blush that traveled to his shoulders, and Lance could tell that it was there from the small chuckle he let out a few moments later. This only caused Keith to blush for and to look away, but a small smile remained on his face, even if he was feeling really embarrassed. He kind of liked the name…

“I’ll keep calling you kitty then if that’s how you’re going to react to it,” Lance let out a small laugh, “Let’s finish our cupcakes,  _ kitty _ .”

Keith pouted slightly at the nickname but smiled nonetheless as they both sat down to finish off their cupcakes. Lance later told Keith that he had brought plenty of money, so if he wanted another cupcake, or even something else, that he should just ask him. While Keith would’ve liked another cupcake, he thought about getting something else instead. The cupcakes were good, bur Keith wanted to give the other pastries they sold a try.

Lance ended up purchasing another cupcake, while Keith received a brownie. The brownie tasted just as amazing as the cupcake and it had Keith humming happily as he took his first bite. As he continued to eat the brownie, Keith didn’t take notice of Lance’s sudden movements until he felt something cold, yet soft against the tip of his nose. When he looked up at Lance, he saw that a bit of frosting from the cupcake was on his fingers, and he was giggling like a fool at Keith.

When Keith moved his hand to wipe his nose, his finger was infected with the frosting that was on his nose. While Lance was busy giggling at Keith, he didn’t even suspect Keith’s attack, the boy reaching his finger up to that he brushed the frosting onto Lance’s lips. Lance was completely quiet after Keith's little surprise attack, which caused Keith to burst out into a mess of laughter to a point where he had to slap his hand over his mouth so he would quiet down.

Ready to get revenge on Keith, Lance chose to put a little show on for Keith. Lance’s eyes became heavily as he stared directly at Keith, who gave him a curious look. With a small smirk, Lance slowly began to lick the frosting off his lips, his eyes heavy and sedated as he kept his gaze onto Keith the entire time. Keith felt like he forgot how to breath as he watched Lance, his entire body heating up like a fireplace at the sudden seductive display. Was he doing this to tease Keith, or for revenge for the frosting? Either way, Keith stored away every second of Lance’s display to remember forever.

Was he was done, Lance leaned his head on one hand and chuckled at Keith, “Did you enjoy the show, kitty?”

“D-Don’t be— s-shut up!” Keith turned away with his arms crossed over his chest, causing Lance to let out a loud laugh. 

The boys spent a few more hours at the bakery, chatting, eating pastries, and teasing each other back to back like they were a part of some kind of contest. Keith could tell that several people were watching their little game with interest, and Keith even heard a few girls on the other side of the bakery say how cute of a couple they made. Keith liked to think that maybe this is a date… even if it didn't make any sense. Then again, from Lance’s teasing, to all the time and effort he put into just planning a day for them to go out… it didn’t hurt to dream, did it?

After a little bit, Lance got up and got the two of them some water to help flush out the pastries. The two began to tell random stories to each other, pretty much whatever silly tale came to mind. Lance talked about how he, Hunk, and Pidge once tried flushed a bunch of forks down the toilet, while Lance nearly died laughing when Keith told him about when he screamed “shit” out loud in front of his father and the old Olkari queen when he was five. The stories were enjoyable and left both boys in a fit of giggles, until a serious face grew on Lance, and he spoke in a hushed voice.

“Hey, Keith.” Keith was worried, since it was the first time he hasn't called him kitty today since he established the nickname, “I wanted to ask.” Keith would’ve been scared if it weren’t for Lance’s sudden silly tone, “Is there a reason why you like hippos so much?? Just— why hippos, of all animals you can choose from?”

“I hardly even remember myself,” Keith laughed, “Lotor told me that he read me a book that had savanna animals in it. You know, things like lions, giraffes, and so on. He said when we got to the hippos, I was fascinated before he even began to read. He says that I liked how ‘big and strong they were’.”

“You have a hippo plush, don’t you?” Lance asked him.

“Yeah—” Keith paused suddenly. How did Lance know that? While Keith brought it with him, he always kept the toy in his bag, and has yet to bring it out once. That, and his bag has been kept under the bed, so how… “Wait, how do you know I have a hippo plush?”

Lance seemed to instantly panic in that moment, a nervous smile spreading across his face, “Well… I was looking for one of my earrings that had fallen off and I went looking around our room for it. I went to look under the bed to see if it had fallen there, and I kind of… hit your bag with my arm and it fell out.”

Keith gave Lance an unimpressed look, “I’m serious! I saw the hippo plush and than I put it right back into the bag! I didn’t touch or look at anything else, I swear.”

He paused for a long moment, before he let out a long sigh, “Fine… I believe you. But yes, I do have a hippo plush. I’ve had it since I was four.”

“You’ve had that plush for 14 years?” Lance looked at him in shock, “Good job for keeping it in once piece for that long. I’m surprised it doesn’t have a torn off leg.”

“I’ve managed to keep it out of harm way,” Keith smiled slightly at him, “And I usually fixed it myself if something was wrong.”

“Impressive,” Lance simply replied before he pulled out his phone and looked at the time, “Damn, it’s nearly two-thirty already. We should probably start heading to our next location. The—” Lance managed to stop himself from revealing their second activity, “ _ It _ starts at three.”

“Is it far from here?” Keith asked him.

“No, not really. A few blocks, maybe.” Lance replied, putting his phone in his pocket and standing up, “It shouldn’t take us that long to get there.”

Keith stood up after Lance did and put a hands in his hip,“Alright then, lead the way.”

After saying their goodbyes to Florona, Keith and Lance allowed themselves to walk out of the Bakery and turn right down the street to reach their next destination. Keith found himself trying to guess what their next place is, trying to piece up the little clues that he had of the place. All he really knew was that whatever it was they were doing was a scheduled thing, hence Lance saying they needed to be there by three. That took off a lot of potential ideas, but didn't made it much easier to precisely guess where they were going.

Meanwhile, while Keith was distracted with the thoughts in his head, Lance kept looking down at Keith’s hand. He didn’t know what drove him to think this, but Lance really wanted to hold Keith’s hand. One half of his mind is telling Lance he’s crazy, that he could ruin the whole day by going through with that. The other half, however, was saying that he was already going to confess to Keith later today anyways, so what is attempting to hold his hand going to do?

Lance wanted to just grab it, but instead, he slowly moved his hand closer to Keith’s and looped his pinkie finger around Keith’s, looking away shyly with a blush. Keith looked up at Lance with an astonished look and a magenta blush on his cheeks. Lance didn’t even want to know what Keith would do, and all Lance thought he would do was pull his hand away and keep walking. Why would Keith even want to hold his hand, let alone date him? Lance thought, knew that he was just a dumb, little goofball who couldn’t do anything right and—

Lance’s thoughts were interrupted when he felt Keith’s pinkie finger wrap around Lance’s. The boy looked over at him in shock, only to see Keith averting his gaze, but a small smile perked on his lips. Lance hummed happily and decided to act a little daring. While a shy smile, he removed his pinkie from Keith’s. Keith looked up at Lance with an almost dejected face until Lance completely laced his hand with Keith’s, gripping it tightly like it would disappear if he let go of it.

Keith looked up at him, his eyes wide and his brows shot up, but then he smiled slightly and grasped Lance’s hand in return. The two were extremely joyful, but the two looked away, but their cheerful grins and smiled remained as they walked down the street. Keith couldn’t stop smiling… Lance’s hand was so warm and soft, like his hand was wrapped up in a fluffy glove, except this was a thousands times better than any kind of glove, and warmed Keith up more.

It was only a few minutes before the boys reached their location. Keith looked up from where Lance has stopped at to see that they were just outside a movie theater. A handful of people were standing outside the building, while oa few others walked into the large building. The building itself had mostly tan walls with a large roof that hovered over the several deep blue front doors that lead them to the counter where they’ll buy their tickets from.

“We’re seeing a movie?” Keith looked up at him.

“Yeah, I thought you’d like to see something,” Lance smiled down at him, his eyes warm, “There was an… interesting movie that recently released that I thought you’d  _ love _ .”

“Well, I’ll be the judge of that,” Keith smirked slightly before he pulled himself closer to Lance’s arm, grasping his hand tightly, “But I bet you picked something good.”

Lance smiled at him before the two walked through the blue doors. The room was fairly large with hard, white floors and red walls. The walls were decorated with posters inside of lit cases that will come out soon, or movies that are already released. A few people were in line purchasing tickets, while in another room on the other side of some glass doors was the man room that has a long counter selling snacks, and two hallways in the back corner of the room that lead to the different theater rooms. 

“I’ll be right back, Kitty.” Lance whispered to him, “Just stay here, and I’ll buy the tickets.”

Keith nodded as Lance entered into the short line, adjusting the hood of his hoodie as he waited for the rest of the people to receive their tickets. Keith’s hand felt empty without Lance’s hand, but the fact that he’s even had the chance to hold Lance’s hand was the best feeling in the world, and if Keith could never hold it again, Keith would still feel happy just knowing he had a chance to hold it. Keith hoped that Lance would take his hand again once he returned to him…

When Lance walked over to Keith with two tickets in hand, and Keith smiled when Lance reached down to clasp Keith’s hand and lace his fingers around his. Keith smiled brightly as Lance lead him into the main room, tightening his grip around Keith’s hand. They approached a young women who stood at a stand to check their tickets. Lance kept his gaze low as the women checked their tickets before she gave them back and allowed them to pass into the main room with a small smile, her gaze lowered down slightly on their clasped hands.

As they walked past the women, Lance looked down at Keith with a warm smile, “Is there anything you’d like to eat for the movie? I brought more than enough money for today. Popcorn? Or maybe a drink?”

“I suppose a drink would be nice, and we could share some candy.” Keith replied, looking over at the variety of candy displayed on a small case that sat on top of the counter.

“Sounds good. Anything specifically candy or drink you want?” Lance asked him.

“Is there anything you want?” Keith asked him. He appreciated that Lance wanted to buy him what he wanted, but the two of them were out together. Keith would’ve like it if Lance got something he wanted, “If there is something you want to get, you can get it.”

“I’m okay with just candy and a drink.” Lance insisted, “The food from the bakery filled me up, so I’m okay with something small.”

“Hm…” Keith simply hummed, “How about you chose the candy and I’ll chose the drink?”

Lance giggled a little at Keith, “Alright, fine.”

The two boys walked over to the counter in an empty line. Lance picked up a box of bite-sized chocolates while Keith ordered a large coke soda. After a few short seconds, the employee returned their soda as the boys paid for their candy and drink. With a quick thanks, the boys turned to their left to a hallway that lead to a long hallway filled with doors that lead into different theaters that were labeled by numbers one through five, and Keith assumed the other hallway had the numbers six through ten.

“Which room is the movie we’re seeing?” Keith asked Lance, looking around at all the different doors in the hallway.

“Theater two,” Lance replied, pointing to the door that was on their left. The door was completely black, like the rest of them, but it had a large, yellow number two painted on it, and a sign with the number hovering above it to alert people that the room was located there.

The boys walked over to the door and opened it up for Keith to walk inside. Keith gave him a quick thanks before he walked inside, with Lance following behind him. They walked through a narrow pathway before it opened up into the large theater. There were several rows of large seats, with a variety of Alteans in the different rows with sodas and popcorn. The room was lit up with wall lights that illuminated the room, but only slightly.

Keith and Lance walked up towards the upper rows and found themselves some seats in the middle of the row so that they got a nice view, but didn’t put themselves in a noticeable place. Keith figured that the theater would soon be dark enough for them to be able to let their hoods down and no one would be able to notice, at least not easily. It was actually a very good idea, at least Keith thinks so. Wearing their hoods all day seemed a little annoying, and it surely wasn’t cold enough to have their hoods up anyways.

As they settled in their seats, the boy patiently waited for the movie to start. Keith figured it would starts soon, since Lance said the movie started at three and they left the bakery at two-thirty. For the time being, the boys chose to have a quick conversation before the movie started. What started as a conversation quickly shifted to Keith trying to convince Lance to tell him what the movie was. Lance kept giggling at Keith’s attempts but he wouldn’t dare break his wall down.

“Why won’t you tell me what the movie is?” Keith pouted, crossing his arms across his chest as he eyed Lance.

“Because it’s a surprise, duh.” Lance smirked at him, “Why would I ruin the surprise?”

Keith huffed out a sigh before he turned back into his seat to face the screen. As much as Keith wanted to keep pestering Lance about what the movie was, Keith soon realized he was about to find out when the screen suddenly went dark, and a little movie about telling people to keep their phones off during the movie began to play. Keith sat in anticipation, feeling excited, but also a bit nervous about what movie Lance chose for them to see. Lance could’ve easily chosen something strange, or a romantic comedy, because of course Lance would want to watch one.

The movie began to roll and a strangely familiar scene began to roll. Three characters in space suits are on planet, presumably the moon, as they fumble with a strange machine that seems to be picking up chunks of the planet’s surface. The scene… it was so familiar. Keith remembered reading in the first volume of his book series that three astronauts, one of them becoming one of the main characters, go to one of Pluto’s moons to collect samples before they get captured by a made-up species known as the Matori. They were a species that were heavily designed off of Alteans, accept much taller and much superior strength, and much brighter hair.

Keith’s eyes widen when one of the characters began to talk about how they could be the first people to meet aliens. There was no way… it was too similar for it to be a coincidence. Within seconds after saying that, a large ship began to illuminate over the three and they began to run when a bright, purple light began to sweep over the planet’s surface, picking up the three men once it finally hits them.

“Lance…” Keith spoke in a soft voice, trying not to disturb the others watching the movie, “Is this…?”

The boy simply turned to him and smirked with a nod as the main character got hit in the back of the head by a Matori soldier, “They made a movie, so I thought you’d like to see it.”

Keith… didn’t even know about this. Since when was a Voltron movie in production? Keith felt like he would’ve known about this much sooner, maybe even Shiro or Lotor telling him about this. How did he completely miss this news? As much as Keith would like to keep asking himself that question, he chose to keep his gaze on the screen, observing every second of the movie.

They were not at the scene where the future blue, yellow, and green paladin are at the Galaxy Garrison pilot school running a simulator. The blue paladin, known as Jeremy, as usual, was making cocky comments as he attempted to lead the rest of the crew. Tyler, their engineer, was doing his best to help without wanting to throw up, while Bex, currently known by Taylor at this point, nearly falls out of her seat. Keith knew the scene by heart, and was glad that nearly every detail from the book was imported into the movie.

Keith couldn’t help but lean forward slightly at each moment. Even if they weren’t at the most exciting part of the movie, simply at the part where Commander Iverson is scolding the future paladins about how badly they did on the droll, Keith couldn’t help it. He recognized every moment, every little detail, that the movie displayed impressively. He’s been reading this book series ever since he was little, and seeing it on display in a movie, left Keith speechless.

This was going to be fun…

-

(4:06pm…)

Lance couldn't help but smile gently whenever he saw Keith’s silly little grin as he watched the movie. He looked like a child in a candy store as he watched it… and it was so cute that Lance’s heart couldn’t take it. His eyes sparkled like the stars in the nighttime sky and and his smile was so bright Lance swore it would blind him.

He came across the movie when he was searching for recently released movies for them to watch. A lot of them were horror films, and personally, Lance hated horror, and if they weren’t horror, they were children’s movies. However, after searching for movies releasing soon, Lance found Voltron om the list, the movie coming out about a day or two before the 15th. Lance thought it was the perfect movie for Keith and he knew Keith would be excited beyond words. And oh he was.

They were now at the point where they’ve met the princess and advisor of a alien species called Humans. They were attacked by the Matori and the two were put into a hyper sleep for ten thousands years, and they were the only two left of their people. They began to talk about finding the lions of Voltron, and how the five of them would become their pilots. They were currently concluding the process of where the lions are, and how they will get them. 

Keith finally leaned back in his seat, but the smile still remained, not that Lance was complaining. He was glad that Keith was enjoying the movie, and Lance hope that he could make Keith smile like that every day. It was a precious smile, and one Lance would love to see.

As the movie continued, Lance began to notice how Keith began to lean closer to Lance, at least the best he can. He miraculously managed to comfortably pull his legs up to his chest and lean on his side. Not just any side, but Keith leaned to his right, or in other words, in the direction Lance was sitting. His head was even slightly move leaned towards Lance as he kept his gaze on the screen with that soft smile.

Lance’s blush was obvious, but it was so dark that Lance thinks that Keith couldn’t notice. Seeing Keith lean closer to him like that made Lance want to wrap his arm around Keith. It may be really cliche, but Keith was just asking for it… and Lance was feeling a little confident. If Keith was willing to let him hold his hand, then would he allow Lance to wrap his arm around him? It was a little more than holding hands, but Lance wouldn’t know unless he tries…

Hesitantly, Lance mover his arms up as though he was stretching. Keith simply glanced over at him before he gaze returned to the screen, simply acknowledging Lance’s actions. After the quick stretch, Lance allowed his arm to slowly fall on Keith’s shoulders, keeping his gaze anywhere except on Keith. The Galra’s body was so warm that it only made the already existing blush on Lance intensify at the touch, making the room feel a thousand times hotter.

Lance couldn't help but glance over at Keith, and he was astonished at his reaction. The boy was staring up at him with wide eyes and red cheeks, his ears perked up like a curious kitten. He didn’t say anything, and did nothing but shift his gaze between Lance and the arm wrapped around him, back and forth. Keith didn’t look irritated or disturbed, but he didn’t look extremely excited either. Was this a bad idea? Lance knew this was stupid… he should stop.

“S-Sorry…” Lance began to move his arm up and away from Keith, but he had to hold back the sudden gasp when he felt Keith grab his arm and firmly hold it back in place around his shoulders. Keith even began to lean closer to Lance, his head coming to rest on his shoulder as best as he can. The boy kept his eyes on the movie screen, but the heat radiating off his body was obvious, even in the dark room.

All Lance could do was smile fondly and lean his head down to rest his head on top of Keith’s. He swore he felt Keith flinch slightly, or jump in surprise, but the Galra then let out a joyful hum and he cuddled into Lance’s side as best as he could. The bulky seats make it incredibly awkward for anyone to cuddle comfortably in them, but Lance could accept this… it was better than nothing.

While the current scene, or rather the overall movie, was not a really romantic one, Lance enjoyed the feeling of Keith wrapped up in his arms. He could hear the sound of the boy’s gentle breathing as his heavy eyes remained on the screen, sinking up every detail like at the beginning, but this time he kept trying to get as close to Lance as possible, not that Lance was complaining. His body was so warm and his gentle breathing made Lance’s heart nearly jump out of his chest.

Now nearing closer towards the end of the movie, at least according to Keith, the paladins of Voltron were now fighting ships that were attacking the planet they were on. The team was struggling to form the robot, but they fought well individually. At one point, Lance felt Keith begin to completely cuddle his head into Lance’s neck, his eyes fluttered closed as he let out a few soft hums. Lance looked at Keith and smiled before he adjusted himself in his seat and leaned towards Keith.

“Aren’t you going to watch the rest of it?” Lance asked him, his voice soft, “You seemed really excited about watching it earlier.”

“I am…” Keith’s voice was quiet, but it didn’t sound like Keith’s. It was slightly raspy and a little slow, almost like he was yawning. Keith opened his eyes and turned his gaze back onto the screen, his eyes heavy, “I’m just… a little tired, that’s all. I’ll be fine.”

“You can sleep, you know.” Lance assured him, moving his head slightly so that his nose was buried on top of Keith’s head, “I don’t mind…”

“But you took the time to select this movie for me…” Keith whispered softly, “The least I can do is watch it ‘til the end.”

“Sleep.” Lance assured him in a slightly more stern voice, “It’s okay, really. I won’t be mad, I promise.”

Keith looked like he was still unsure about it, but he sighed before he nuzzled into Lance’s neck with a smile, “Fine… but only because I’m too tired to argue with you.”

Lance’s smiled softened as Keith began to let out soft breaths against his neck, his breath warm and his nose occasionally brushing against his neck. It was a comfortable feeling, and Lance hoped that Keith would forever feel comfortable enough to be able to do things like this with him… and Lance could only pray that his confession would go well. While Lance felt like today’s event raised hopes for the confession, Lance couldn’t help but have his doubts, even after all the assurances he’s been given.

He looked down sadly at Keith, who was nearly completely dazed out as he let out soft, quiet snores. He cared about Keith so much that sometimes Lance’s heart aches when he thinks about him. Lance could only hope and pray that everything goes well… or their relationship could be ruined. Keith’s friendship meant everything to Lance, and Lance was happy enough with being just friends with him. However… Lance still has some hope.

Lance looked down at the sleeping Keith and he slowly angled his head so that he could place a gentle kiss on top of Keith’s before he pressed his cheek against the top of Keith’s head before he let his eyes flutter shut and allow himself to fall into a deep sleep, his love cuddled into his neck…

-

(4:24pm…)

Keith slowly began to open his eyes when he heard the sound of loud applause and a few cheering voices. He blinked his tired eyes open and looked up from his spot as he saw people stand up and clap as the credits of the movie began to roll. Some people already started to leave, while a few we’re now starting to gather their things to make their way to the exit. The movie must’ve ended… and yet Keith can hardly remember at which point he began to fall asleep at.

The boy shifted slightly in his seat, his nose brushing against the side of Lance’s neck. He pulled back and looked up at Lance with a small smile, before he turned his gaze over to the arm wrapped around him. Keith knew that he had to wake Lance up, but… he wanted to cherish this moment for just a second longer before the whole thing was ruined. Who knows when the next time something like could ever happen again…

When almost everyone has left the theater, maybe no more than a few people left in the room, Keith sighed slightly and shifted in his seat so that he could wake up Lance up. He pulled his head back and moved his arms so that he can gently shake Lance awake.

“Lance…” He spoke in a soft voice as he shaked Lance’s body slightly, “Wake up.”

A faint mumble escaped from Lance’s lips, but he didn’t seem to wake up. Keith pouted slightly before he shaked Lance a little harder this time, raising his voice slightly, “Lance, wake up. The movie’s over…

When Lance didn’t react, Keith groaned. At one point, Keith was able to catch a slight smirk that appeared on Lance’s lips and Keith found himself glaring harshly at him. Letting out a long, discouraged sigh, Keith began to harshly shake Lance, not even caring if it hurt or if Lance would be annoyed with him, “Lance! Get your ass up!”

Keith let out a yelp when Lance’s free arm was lifted up and, before he even knew it, Keith was tightly hugged by Lance, who just couldn’t seem on hold back his snickering. His hold on Keith was surprisingly tight considering the awkward angle they’re in, and the Galra struggled slightly to get out of his hold. When Lance didn’t let go, Keith went limp and groaned slightly.

“Lance, what do you want?” Keith glared at Lance.

“You got caught by the cuddle monster…” Lance simply said, almost like a sleepy child, but then he looked up at him with a snicker, “You’ll never leave. You’re stuck with me forever.”

While the idea of being stuck with Lance forever wasn’t really a bad idea, keith was too angry at Lance to think about that at the moment, “Lance, get up.” He groaned, trying to get out of Lance’s hold so he can stand up. “It’s not funny, Lance. Stop it, please”

Lance seemed to stop for a second, but his hold still remained. It was almost like Lance had a pause button and someone just pressed it. He stayed where he was, but it was almost like he was lifeless, like something just took the breath out of him. He was dead silent, and Keith would’ve thought he pasted out if it wasn’t for his soft breaths and slow blinks. Was he okay…?

“Hey, Keith…” Lance grip on Keith softened, and while Keith would’ve taken this chance to escape, his soft voice stopped him, “Sorry, but… am I…”

Keith quirked his brow at Lance’s hesitation, before the boy shook his head and let go of his grip on Keith and pulled back, “Nevermind, it’s not important.”

“Yes it is.” Keith replied almost immediately, “You… you can tell me anything, you know. It’s okay.”

Lance looked over at him with wide eyes before he relaxed a little and turned away. His voice was quiet and soft, and Keith thought he wouldn’t even have been able to hear him if it wasn’t for his super hearing. But he did, and those words haunted Keith. He hated every single word in the question, and Keith wished he would have done something to stop Lance from saying those words, or even thinking about them for even a second. 

“Am… am I annoying…?”

Keith couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and he didn’t want to hear Lance ever say those words ever again. It was like Keith just got stabbed in the heart, Lance’s dejected face only made it hurt more. In that moment, Keith wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around Lance, softly kissing his cheek and assure him in soft whispered that he wasn’t annoying… he wasn’t annoying, or stupid, or anything.

If anything… Keith thought he was perfect… perfect in all of the best ways.

“No.” Keith said to him in a firm voice, “You’re not.”

“You’re lying… aren’t you?” Lance replied, his voice soft, “You don’t have to lie to me. I know that people can’t stand it when I’m in the room. I know I’m annoying… and I know people hate my stupid jokes and tricks. You don’t have to deny it…”

“Lance…” Keith voice was soft, “I don’t think any of those things, nobody does.”

“Than what  _ do _ you think of me?” Lance barely looked at Keith when he asked him, “You sounded so angry with me when I wouldn’t stop. If you don’t think I’m annoying, than what do you think of me?”

Keith thought of his next words carefully. Should… should he tell him? What would Lance do if Keith told him everything? Would he be scared, or maybe he would be disgusted? Keith just wished he could. He knew that hiding his feelings wasn’t going to help him… and that if he kept this up, that he could lose him forever. Keith wanted to tell him… and perhaps based off today’s events… maybe. 

Except… not now. If Keith had to tell him at any time today, he’d wait until they get back to the castle. For now, Keith just wanted to have fun today, and not have to worry about all his problems. He was out with Lance today… and right now? Lance was upset, and Keith wanted to just scream out his feelings to Lance. But, instead of that… he took a more  _ censored _ route.

“Where do I even begin?” Keith smiled at him warmly, “You’re kind, considerate… and you always know how to make people laugh. No one is ever down when you’re with them.” He looked up at him with a serious look, “And despite your goofy and playful personality, you’re always there for everyone, giving them the constant reassurance and support they need… giving me that constant support.”

“Keith…” his voice was quiet and soft, and he wanted to say more, but Keith didn’t let him.

“Lance,” Keith placed a hand on top of Lance’s. “You are a thousand times more valuable than you think you are, a  _ million _ times more. Everyone at the castle loves having you around, and I do too.” He curled his fist around the top of Lance’s hand, his own shaking slightly, “I can’t even imagine what my life would look like without you in it. You’ve changed my life, and everyone else’s, for the better. And that is an act that can never be repaid.”

Keith looked away shyly after he finished, and he didn’t want to know how he would react. Lance didn’t say a thing, the air in the now completely empty theater room seemly growing heavy. Nothing but the faint music of the continuing credits of the movie filled the silence, and even then the silence was deafening. Did he say the wrong things? Was he angry or upset? Did… did he know?

The Galra shyly glanced up at Lance, but he ended up flinching when he saw Lance’s face. His eyes were warm and watery, like it was seconds away before the dam broke and tears flow down. His smile was so bright that it was blinding, and Keith adored that smile. It was one that Lance wore a lot, but that didn’t make it any less special. Seeing it always set Keith’s heart swell and he cherished every single curve of it.

Without warning, Lance threw his arms around Keith’s shoulders and held him tightly. Keith’s eyes were wide and he didn’t know how to react for a second, but after a second, Keith smiled softly before he wrapped his arms around Lance’s back and buried his nose into the side of Lance’s hair with a joyful sigh. Lance let out a small, exhausted chuckle before he buried his face into Keith’s shoulder, his eyes wet with the tears he kept trying to hold back.

“Who are you and what have you done with Keith?” Lance giggled a little as he lifted his head slightly, “You’re never this sweet…”

“Well, I suppose I felt like being nice today,” Keith smiled against his hair, “But really… I meant everything I said… you mean so much more to me than you think…”

Lance seemed quiet for a moment, doing nothing but letting out soft breaths before he smiled against Keith’s shoulder. His grip tightened around Keith’s shoulders, and Keith found himself copying the action, gripping his back so tightly that would’ve hurt if it wasn’t for the overwhelming feeling swelling up in his chest each passing second. Keith didn’t know if he could hold back his feelings any longer. From the hand holding, to the cuddling, to the tight grip that Lance has around him…

Keith felt like his heart was being stabbed.

It had been a few minutes now, and Keith was surprised no one has come out to drag them out of the theater room yet… and yet Keith didn’t want to let go. The feeling was so overwhelming and Keith didn’t want this to end. He felt like if he let go, than this feeling, this little hope of a potential love connection would fade away and never return. And Keith did not want that feeling to end… he didn’t want to let go of that small spark of hope that he had, but everything in life comes to an end, and so did this.

Keith forced himself to pull away from the hug, but he didn’t remove his arms from Lance. Keith looked up at him and chuckled softly before he spoke in a soft voice, “I think we should leave before they come in and kick us out.” 

“I agree.” Lance replied, his arms still around his shoulders, “Let’s go.”

With that said and done, Keith and Lance stood up and, with their trash, made their way out of the theater room and down the hallway to the door. After throwing their trash away, the two took a quick bathroom break before throwing their hoods on once again and walking into the main room. Keith looked up at Lance to see he had a distressed look on his face, like he was unsure of something.

“Is something wrong?” Keith asked him, looking up at Lance with a small frown.

“Oh, nothing  _ really _ wrong,” The boy lifted his hand up to shake the back of his neck nervously, “It’s just… our next event doesn’t start until six, so we have about an hour before we even have to leave for it.” He turned to Keith, “So if there’s anything you want to do for a while, then I don’t mind. It’s whatever you’d like to do for the time being.”

Keith thought for a moment about it before his ears perked up. He heard a faint chuckle from Lance and glanced his way, figuring that Lance knew that he had an idea in mind. He was slightly embarrassed about asking, knowing that he could easily have Shiro, Pidge or Hunk, or even  _ Coran _ do this for him, but he thought it would be best if he could do it himself. They were out, right? It would just save him the trouble, and save him from having to ask anyone else about it.

“Do you have anything in mind?” Lance asked him.

“Yeah, but…” Keith glanced up nervously, “I doubt you’ll really find it fun.”

“Hey,” Lance moved his hand to grasp Keith’s shoulder tightly, “I planned this day for you. If there is something you  _ really _ want to go and do, than we can do it. I don’t mind one bit, Keith, just as long as you’re having fun.”

“You sure?” Keith asked him once again.

“Positive.” 

“O-Okay then…” Keith paused for a moment before looking up at Lance with a questionable look, “Do you know where the nearest bookstore may be?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this garbage UwU  
> -  
> Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thosespacegays


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI MY DUMBASS FORGOT TO UPDATE UNTIL LIKE 20 MINUTES AGO  
> .  
> Anyways,, I think this is the 15,000 word chapter? So yay?  
> aLSO, please read the notes at the end! It’s super important! Thank UwU

(September 15th, 4:52pm…)

Allura exhaustingly threw herself on the couch in one of the sitting rooms in the castle, with Shiro not far behind her as he came in to sit down in one of the loveseats that faced the large coffee table that sat in the center of the circle made by the seats. Shiro didn’t blame Allura for her slightly exaggerated display, for he felt the same way. It was only sive and Shiro was already so exhausted that he felt like he could sleep until noon the next day. And they had to keep this up until eight, maybe even nine!

When Keith and Lance first left, they didn’t have a lot of problems for at least the first hour or two. The guards didn’t seem to question the lack of Keith and Lance’s presence in the halls for a while, figuring that the boys were in their rooms, or just somewhere else. However, after a few hours, Shiro could smell the uncertainty in the air around them that it was almost overwhelming. With a flick of his ear, he could hear the soft whispers that some of the guards share amongst each other, not even realizing that an outsider was listening in.

“Have any of you see the princes today?” A male Alpha asked a small group of guards.

“The princess said that she just spoke with them in their room earlier.” A much younger male Beta replied.

“I heard someone say he just went to check on them, but they weren’t in there,” Another female Alphas spoke in a soft voice, “You don’t think her highness was lying, do you?”

“I’m sure they had just left when they went to go check on them,” The younger guard assured her, “You know how their highnesses are. Those two are stuck to each other like glue. The prince has also been constantly visiting the garden with prince Keith ever since he arrived. They could have easily gone there.”

“I suppose so,” The older Alpha shrugged, “And our prince loves to joke around a lot. This could easily be one of his silly games he convinced Prince Keith to partake in.”

After hearing that, Shiro and Allura felt like they could keep this up… at least they thought so. About another hour later, some of the guards at the garden told some others that they haven’t seen the princes come into the garden at all. That is when the tension began to rise amongst not only the guards, but some of the other workers too. Allura and Shiro have had to run around to several groups of guards and maids and assure them that they had just seen the princes, or had just spoke with them. They even went to Hunk and Pidge and had them help, saying that they had all hung out in Hunk’s room.

Their assurance seems to be working, and no one has seemed to start a mass search or cause a panic in the castle, and King Alfor doesn’t seem suspicious either, but how long could they keep this up? It’s only five and people are already getting suspicious. Hell, Shiro was surprised they have been able to keep it up for as long as they have. But could they keep this up much longer? Keith and Lance weren’t returning until seven or eight at the earliest, so they had to keep this up for about three or four more hours. Just the thought of it made Shiro groan.

Allura kept assuring him that their actions wouldn’t be for nothing, both of them aware of what was planned for the end of evening. Shiro hoped and prayed that Lance would go through with his plan for the end of the night, or he would have to have a long talk with that boy. If he did, Shiro would still feel exhausted, but he thought about the way Keith looked whenever he was with Lance… and Shiro thought that all of this was worth Keith’s happiness. It was the least Shiro could do if he could help provide this to him.

After they assured another group of guards and maids, Allura and Shiro chose to rest and went into one of the few sitting rooms that the castle provided. The turquoise couches and loveseat made a C shape with the coffee table in the middle and a brick fireplace built into the wall that was painted white to match the color of the coffee table. The walls too were painted a similar color to the couches, the interior matching the usual color and architecture of Altean culture. Shiro did seem to notice that during his stay here, and while a lot different from Galra architecture, it was still just as nice.

Even if it was beautiful, Shiro wasn’t concerned about that at the moment. All he could think about were two things: How they will continue to cover for Keith and Lance, and how are they doing? Even if both him and Allura were aware of what Lance’s plans were for today, they were still concerned. Someone could recognize them, even with the disguises, or something else could happen to them. Shiro knew that he was overreacting, that protective parent side of him Keith claims he has showing, but he still can’t help but feel worried about them.

“Do you think those two be okay?” Shiro lifted his head up to look over at Allura from the couch across from him.

“I’m sure they’ll be okay,” Allua sat up a little bit, adjusting her posture so it looked more formal. Shiro supposed that the princess wasn’t used to looking so laid back around company, “Even if they did come across any trouble, knowing Lance, he’d do everything he can to keep Keith safe.”

Shiro chuckled softly at the thought, “He would…” he paused, the silenced in the room deafening to anything who was in it. “I hope that everything works out in the end.”

“It will,” Allura said to him with a smile, “Lance planned the entire day for this. I don’t think he’d back out now after all he’s done to prepare for this. Lance hates backing out of things he promised to do. And if he does go through with it, you know it will go well. They’re just really oblivious.”

“Definitely,” Shiro nodded to the princess, before he looked up at the ceiling in thought, “They both deserve it… and I think someone like Lance is a person Keith needs more than anything. I don’t want them to pass this up and ruin a good chance to form something special.”

“They definitely deserve each other,” Allura agrees, before she looks down at her hands that rested in her lap, an almost sad smiled painted on her lips, “They don’t even realize how happy the other feels when they’re around them.” She throws herself back so she can lean back against the couch, her gaze remaining on her lap, “After all that Lance has gone through… at least he could be with someone that makes him and father happy as well.”

“Keith’s been through another kind of hell as well,” Shiro replied, his voice a little soft, “Seeing him how he is around Lance… I just want him to be happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for him. And he feels that way around Lance. I want them to be happy together.”

“Trust me, you aren’t the only one.” Allura lifts her head up to look at Shiro, “Me, Hunk, Pidge. We all want them to hurry up and get together so they can stop ranting about how amazing the other is. And the way they look at each other!” The princess throws her hands up in defeat, “I’m shocked they both still have doubts!”

“I guess when you’re in love, you seem to lose all common sense.” Shiro smiled softly, thoughts of Adam filling his mind.

“Speaking of, how did that second date with Adam go?” The princess asked, lifting her head up slightly, “You went on a date with him yesterday, right?”

“Y-Yeah…” Shiro blushed shyly, looking away from Allura, “W-Why do you ask?”

“What did he do??” She asked him excitedly, as though the serious conversation they were just having just disappeared out of thin air, “He planned the entire thing, right? What did he do!?”

Shiro’s cheeks suddenly reddened and he let out a nervous cough, keeping his eyes on everything except Allura. No way would he ever tell the princess what happened… maybe he’d tell Lance since he would understand more, and maybe even Keith since he’s told him everything, but not the princess. It just seemed embarrassing to talk about those kind of things with Allura. Not because it was bad, but rather due to her lack of understanding due to her being a Beta. She lacked the strange feelings that went through an Alpha’s, or even an Omega’s, head when things like this happen.

“I-I’ll tell you after I tell Keith and Lance.” Was the only thing Shiro could come up with at that moment.

“Why?” Allura asked him, crossing her arms across her chest and giving the Galra a stern look, “Give me one understandable excuse as to why you cannot tell me until after you discuss it with Keith and Lance.”

“I-It…” Shiro paused for a long moment, almost too long, “It’s a long story…”

Allura didn’t look quite impressed, “Shiro, I’m the same age as you, if not older by maybe a few months. Talking about a simple date to me shouldn’t be something that makes you feel embarrassed or nervous.” Nonetheless, Allura let out a long sigh, “But, I’ll drop it for the time being if it makes you feel better. But, I will get my answers sooner than later.”

Shiro’s shoulders seemed to relax and he smiled halfway in an almost joking matter, “Thanks, princess… I think.”

She let out a loud laugh as the two continued their conversation, shifting between different topics, with Allura occasionally indirectly attempting to ask Shiro about what happened during his date with Adam, and each and every time, Shiro just simply dismissed the question and continued with whatever conversation they were having before she asked. Some of the conversations shifted to things they liked, or their favorite activities, but without even realizing it, their conversation took a different turn.

Without even realizing it, or without much objection, they began to talk about Keith and Lance. From what Lance had planned for today, to what they we’re doing right now, and even how Keith might react to each of the individual events Lance scheduled for the day. For the movie, Allura thought Keith would be flattered by Lance’s choice of film, while Shiro thought he would be excited beyond words and keep bouncing up and down in his seat. Their thoughts and opinions on the whole ideal kept shifting back and forth.

At one point, both Pidge and Hunk began to enter the room and Pidge waved her arm up to get Shiro and Allura’s attention. The two looked and waved for them to come and sit with them. When Shiro asked why they were here, Pidge said that her boss gave her the rest of the day off after covering a shift for a fellow employee, and Hunk was on break for the next few hours. Pidge sat down next to Allura with a slight smile, while Hunk sat down on the se,oth couch that was next to Allura and Shiro. Hunk had asked what they were talking about, and they told them a few of their predictions about Lance and Keith’s “date”.

“Wait, you know what they’re doing today??” Pidge looked up at Allura, feeling surprised.

“Lance had came to me to help give him suggestions for what to do,” Allura said to her, “And once Shiro found out what they were doing, he forced Keith to step out of the room and had Lance explain to him why he won’t be home until a little late.”

“They won’t be home until eight or nine at the earliest.” Shiro grumbled slightly in his seat, “Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t allow the princes to do such a thing, especially with the risk of someone finding out Keith is an Omega on the line.” He let out a very long sigh, “But, after what Lance said, I just couldn’t say no…”

“He’s planning on finally confessing, right?” Pidge asked, looking up to look up Allura.

“Yeah, and thank goodness for that.” She looked over towards Hunk and Shiro, “Those two really are a couple of fools.”

“Well, now they will be a couple of fools.” Pidge laughed at her own joke before she leaned back on the couch, “And it took him long enough to finally do so. I’m tired of all this pinning and hesitation in the air. Even if it’ll be gross, I just want them to start dating and finally be gross together.”

“I think they make a very cute couple!” Hunk smiled at the thought, “The way they always smile at each other and how thoughtful they are to one another!”

“I have to agree with Hunk,” Allura smiled slightly at the thought, but her usually sweet and playful voice turned serious, “Ever since Lance was little, he always talked about how he would find his special someone, and how he would do everything he could to take care of them.” The princess looked over sadly at Pidge next to her, and Shiro could see how she seemed to smile sady too.

Pidge shook her head slightly, but not in disagreement, but rather disappointment, “He used to have me play the princess and he the knight. Hunk was usually the dragon.” She giggled a little at the mention of it, “and when we were preteens, he’d constantly daydream about what kind of person his mate with be like.” Pidge pulled up her legs from the floor so she could hug them to her chest, “Whether they were a boy or girl, if they were silly or serious, if they were Altean, Balmeran… He was just so excited at the thought of finding the love of his life.”

“We think that Keith is giving him that opportunity,” Hunk simply summed up, “He clearly cares about him. And Keith is such a sweet guy and he clearly feels happy around Lance too. The last thing I want is for both of them to lose the chance to have something great together.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Shiro said to him, “If Lance really doesn’t tell Keith like we fear, than I’m telling them, and I don’t care what kinds of consequences might come from it. They deserve each other.”

“I’ll go along with it if it results to that in the end,” Allura nodded towards Shiro, “But I can confidently say that my doubts of that happening are absent.”

“When does he plan on confessing?” Pidge asked Allura, turning her head towards her.

“At the end of the night.” Shiro said, looking down in thought.

“And what are they doing now?”

Shiro was quiet for a moment before he thought about Lance’s words, “Their dinner plans should be starting very soon… but I don’t know what they could be doing now…”

-

(5:22pm…)

Lance found himself smiling like a stupid fool as Keith looked around in the unfamiliar bookstore like an excited child. He kept glancing up and reading the few signs that displayed where books were organized based of what category they were. The place was an well known store that sold brand new of genre used books for much cheaper prices than a more formal and international bookstore. Lance figured it would best to come here since it was close by and whatever Keith wanted to get may be much cheaper.

Speaking of, Keith had yet to inform Lance about why he wanted to come here and what he wanted to get. He seemed to be looking for something in particular, keeping his gaze on the signs with the different genres, most likely looking for something in particular. Keith kept flicking his ears slightly and narrowing his eyes to read the signs that were near the back. What was he looking for?

Suddenly, the Galra’s ear perked up, creating two little bumps in his hood before he began to rush over towards the back half of the shop. Lance’s brows shot up before he went after Keith into the bookstore. He turned into a row of books, which according to the sign, were science fiction novels. Keith went about halfway into the row of books and to the shelf to his right before he began to browse the different books that the shelf contained, seemingly looking for a specific book on the shelf.

“Book four, five…” Keith would mumble to himself as his finger would drag against each of the rings, “Come on… where is it?”

After about another minute of looking around, Keith suddenly grinned after he looked up and saw a small stack of large books that seemed no bigger than a school textbook, but wasn’t as thick as most are. He stood on his toes to reach up and grab the one on the top of the stack and carefully pull it down with his fingertips before firmly grasping the sides. Lance quirked his brow at what Keith was holding before he walked over to him and looked down at the book from behind his shoulder.

The book cover was decorated with a galaxy design with what appeared to be the silhouettes of robotic cats lined up in the middle with each one being a different shape, size, and color. The top of the cover had the words “Voltron: legendary defenders” written on the top of it and the button half, in large white text, read “Hand Book”. Lance recognized the word Voltron from the book series that Keith always reads. Perhaps it was a special collectable book?

“Hand book?” Lance suddenly asked, causing Keith to jump slightly and turn around to face Lance with the book in his hands.

“Oh— uh…” Keith looked unsure for a moment before he looked up at Lande once again, “Yeah… it’s a handbook. It kind of explains the story, shows of character profiles, and has short stories and manuscripts not present in the novels.”

“Woah, that’s pretty cool.” Lance smiled down at him as he looked over at the cover, “You want to get this?”

Keith looked away shyly, hugging the book to his chest, “Yeah. I can’t get things like this in the castle’s library… so I’d like to get it so I can look at whenever I’d like.”

Lance smiled softly at Keith’s shy and unsure behavior before he placed his hand on top of Keith’s head and gave it a few pets. Keith looked up at him with a slightly confused look before Lance spoke again, “Hey, of course you can have it. I brought more than enough money for today. If you really want it, than you can have it.”

Keith looked up at him with those big, violet eyes before he grinned at him with a sparkle in his eyes. Lance chuckled a little at Keith before he gave his head a few more pets and lifted his hand away from it. With a quick nod, the boys went over to the counter as Lance handed Keith the money he needed to pay. Lance figured that having Keith go up would be better because he was not only getting it, but it would decrease the chances of them getting caught, since not as many Alteans are able to identify Keith as much as Lance, or even Lotor since has Keith almost never made any public appearances.

The young man at the counter gave Keith a friendly smile before he rung up his purchase and gave Keith the extra change he owed him. Keith gave the man a quick thanks before he took his bag and walked over to Lance with a small smile as he looked down at the book in his bag.

Lance would never get over that smile that Keith wore like it was a part of his skin. It always made Lance’s skin tingle in the best way and would cause his heart to beat like it was trying to pop out of his chest. Even if Lance had to spend a little more money before the dinner than he expected, to him, it was all worth it to see that beautiful smile curved onto Keith’s face. Lance thought anything was worth it if Keith could smile like that every day for the rest of his life. He deserved it…

With a small sigh, Lance shook the thoughts out his before he looked down at Keith with a smile, “Is that everything you wanted to get? We have a bit of time to visit other shops nearby.”

“This was really the only thing I could think of that I wanted to get.” Keith looked up at him with a shrug, “Unless there is anything that you want to do. I don’t mind.”

Lance smiled before shaking his head with a sigh, “You’re too considerate, Keith, really. I planned this all for you, so don’t be afraid to be a little selfish today.” The Altean lifted his hand up so he could pet the top of Keith's head once again, “This is your day.”

Keith looked up at him with a hint of doubt in his eyes, still feeling unsure even after Lance assurances. Lance just wished that Keith would allow himself to be spoiled or to be selfish for even a little bit. He didn’t blame Keith for feeling unsure about acting like that, considering the lifestyle that Keith lived in. While Lance has barely heard much of the story, he knew that Keith wasn’t used to the spoiled lifestyle that he was used to. Keith couldn’t help but feel selfless in every situation he’s in.

“If you really don’t want to do anything else, than I don’t mind.” Lance gave his head a few more rubs, “We could go straight to our next activity now, though we may be a little early. It’s up to you.”

Keith’s eyes averted Lance’s, thinking for a moment. Lance hoped that Keith would allow himself to request a place to go. The face he had remained for a moment before he shook his head slightly and looked up at Lance, “It’s okay. I know you want me to be a little selfish, but I can’t think of anything else I’d like to do. We could go to the next place… if that’s okay with you.”

“Of course it’s okay, Keith.” Lance said to him almost immediately, “I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do. I’ll call up Neylon and I’ll have him take us to our next place.”

As Lance walked over to the door, Keith began to follow behind him with the bag in his hand, looking up at Lance with a confused look, “Wait, why do we need Neylon to take us there? I thought we would be walking to all of our places.”

“For these last two, they’re too far away to walk there.” Lance explained as he pulled his phone out of his pocket once they made it out of the bookstore, “Besides, Neylon has something in his car that we’ll need…”

Keith seemed to want to ask what it was, but he stopped himself when Lance held his phone up to his ear, waiting for Neylon to answer the phone. It rang only a few times for a moment before Neylon’s familiar voice began to click into the phone, “Hey, Lance. What’s up?”

“Hey, man. We’re about ready for you know what.” Lance said in case that Keith may have been listening, “We’re at that bookstore on Newwood drive. Think you could come and get us now?”

“Yeah, no problem,” Neylon replied after Lance heard some shuffling around, presumably checking if he had everything they needed, “I got your suits for the both of you. I’ll be there in about five minutes, so sit tight.”

“Alright. Thanks, Neylon. I’ll see you in a minute.” Lance moved to go and hang up, but he was interrupted by Neylon’s voice that he could barely heard considering the distance his phone was away from his face.

“How has it been going? Anything interesting happen yet?” Lance didn’t need to see Neylon’s face for him to know he must’ve been smirking like a fool. While Lance would’ve loved to go on a huge, panicky rant about everything that’s been happening, he couldn’t risk it with Keith standing mere feet away from him.

“I’ll text you the details during the car ride.” Lance simpy said to him, “I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye~”

With that, Lance ended the call before he turned towards Keith and walked over to him. The boy looked up at him expectantly before Lance spoke, “Neylon will be here in about five minutes, so just relax for the next few minutes until he comes.”

Keith nodded before he turned his gaze towards the road and watched as rows of cars of different types and colors sped past them down to the end of the road. Lance, as well, found himself turning his gaze to the road to watch the different cars pass. This lasted for about a minute before Lance found himself feeling awkward due to the sudden silence surrounding them. Lance wanted to say something to Keith, anything, but his violet eyes remained on the road, his lips opened slightly as he let out a handful of soft breaths and sighs.

Lance didn’t even realize for a moment that he was staring, his gaze reverting down to Keith’s lips. They were as soft as a peach and they seemed to shine like diamonds. The top was just as plump as the bottom and Lance had to use all his energy to stop himself from lunging forward and pressing his lips against Keith’s. Lance wanted to kiss him so badly, for him to finally experience what’s he’s been patiently waiting for for so long. Someone's first kiss was something special and rare, something you only experience once, and Lance has been waiting to find the right person to share that moment with.

Lance was always stubborn about giving kisses to people, whether in a romantic way or even a simple greeting. Sure, he’s given away plenty of hand kisses, and even cheek kisses too, but he’s refused to kiss anyone on the lips. A handful of both women and men have attempted to in the past, and Lance has had to awkwardly excuse himself before they did so he could get out of the awkward situation. If he had already found someone special to share his first kiss with, than he wouldn’t mind kissing someone else, but Lance hasn’t. He’s still looking for that person who will have the honor of giving him his first kiss.

And as Lance continued to look over at Keith, his eyes warm as he stared out into the street, getting lost in the colors… well then, Lance believes that his hunt for that special one is finally over.

Thinking about his first kiss got Lance thinking for a moment… Has Keith had his first kiss yet? Even if Keith has rarely went to private events such as balls or even a simple party, surely Keith may have found someone to share his first kiss with. Maybe he shared it with Shiro…? Lance hoped that wasn't the case, especially with the less recent news of how well Shiro’s date with Adam went, and how said boy had asked him on a second date they went on yesterday. Just the thought of it broke Lance’s heart, and he hoped that it wasn't the case.

Lance thought it would just be best to ask Keith himself if he’s had his first kiss, but why would he ever do that? It was kind of an awkward moment for Lance to ask such a question, but then again, when would he have another opportunity to do so? Once sunset came… there might not even be a chance to ask Keith depending on how tonight’s events go. So why not? What’s the worst that could happen?

Letting out a long sigh, Lance threw all caution out the window and spoke, “Hey Keith?” The boy turned his head to him and let up a low hum in response, “Have you… have you had your first kiss yet?”

Of course, Keith appeared surprised by the sudden personal question, but not only that, but his cheeks began to burn a bright red that looked more magenta on his skin. He let out a nervous cough against his fist before he turned his gaze away awkwardly. Lance immediately regretting asking his question and found himself frowning at Keith with a worried look. He knew that Kwith would feel uneasy about the questions, but he didn’t expect this. Immediately, Lance moved towards Keith slightly and spoke.

“Crap— I’m sorry.” Lance lifted his hand up hesitantly, wanting to rest it on Keith’s shoulder or arm, but felt like he’d only feel more flustered or uncomfortable, “N-Nevermind, I shouldn’t have even—”

“No…” Keith suddenly spoke up in a soft voice.

“What?”

“You asked me if I had my first kiss.” Keith replied as he slightly turned his head towards Lance, “No, I haven’t had my first kiss yet.”

“O-Oh…” Lance stuttered slightly, feeling unsure of what to say or do next, “Well, if it makes you feel any better… neither have I.”

Hearing that seemed to snap Keith out of his uncomfortable state and looked at Lance with a confused look, one brow shot up. He blinked a few times at him in shock, causing Lance to look to his sides nervously. Keith shook his head and blinked at him again with wide eyes before he spoke again, “You’re being serious?”

“Yes??” Lance looked at Keith with just as much confusion as Keith was, “Why? Were you expecting me to have my first kiss by this point?”

“And is it a sin that I was?” Keith completely turned to face Lance and he stared up at him with wide eyes, “You? Loverboy Lance? The king of flirting hasn’t had his first kiss? I figured you would’ve, I don’t know, maybe snuck out of a party with some Omega and made out in a dark hallway? You seriously haven’t kissed anything one yet?”

Lance snorted for a moment before he let out a few laughs, “I might do that after I have my first kiss, maybe. I’m just waiting until I find that special person to share it with.”

“Special… person?” Keith’s voice spoke with uncertainty, almost he got hit in the stomach and got the breath knocked out of him, but he was still able to speak clearly.

“Well, yeah,” Lance turned so could look out onto the road and passing cars, “When I was younger, I always wanted to find that special someone to share my first kiss with. Allura always said to make sure it’s with someone important, because you can never experience a first kiss ever again.”

“O-Oh,” Keith mumbled a little before he turned to look out at the road too, “I-I guess I never thought of it that way.”

“I’ve been searching for that someone who would do the honors of sharing my first kiss with me…” Lance went quiet as he looked over at Keith, whose cheeks were warm and breaths were slow. He found himself smiling at him before he spoke his next words in a voice so soft that only Keith heard him, “And I think my search is about to come to an end…”

As Lance’s words hung in the air, the silence almost deadly, a familiar car pulled up on the other side of the road. The window to the driver’s side rolled down as Neylon stuck his head out of the window and waved to the boys on the other side. Lance lifted his hand up to wave at him, signaling that he saw him too before he turned to go to the nearest crosswalk just two buildings down from where they were. Lance had only taken a few steps towards the crosswall before he realized that Keith wasn’t following him.

The Altean looked behind him to see Keith looking up him with wide eyes. He seemed simply astonished by Lance’s statement, rather than terrified, so Lande figured shock was a better reaction than fear. With a small huff that turned into a chuckle, Lance walked over to Keith only to place an arm on his shoulder and speak in a soft voice, “Come on, Neylon’s here. Let’s cross before the light changes.”

The boy simply nodded before Lance turned around and began to walk towards the crosswalk, this time accompanied by the sound of walking feet behind him. Lance wasn’t entirely shocked by Keith’s reaction, but that did spark a light of concern in him. Keith may have just been surprised by Lance’s words, but maybe… maybe he knew. Maybe Keith was able to put two and two together and realized that this “special someone” Lance was talking about finally finding was him. If he did know… his reaction was perfect for the situation.

When they got to the crosswalk, they didn’t stand for long before the sign changed and the small crowd of people began to walk down the road. Lance followed the crowd, with Keith not far behind, but seemed to be trailing behind and getting drowned in the crowd. When Lance got to the other side, he had to wait for a moment before Keith appeared from the crowd and went to stand in front of him. He seemed to look normal, but Lance could tell something was off with him, even if the hints were subtle.

Lance gave Keith a quick smile before he walked over to Neylon’s car with Keith following behind. When he got to the car, Lance opened the door to the middle seats and moved out of the way to let Keith step into the car first. Keith mumbled a quick thanks before he stepped up into the car and sat in im the seat the far side. When Lance jumped in too, he closed the door and sat down in the seat next to the door as Keith began to put his seatbelt on. Once Neylon heard the two clicks of the buckles, he began to start up the car and pull out into the busy roads of the city.

The silence that loamed in the air was a comfortable silence, but Lance still felt bad for creating the slightly awkward tension. He glanced over at Keith to see the boy’s head leaning towards the window to look at the passing buildings with heavy eyes. He didn’t seem relatively upset, but he seemed to be lost in thought, like everything was meaningless other than where his gaze remained. Lance frowned at him for a moment, and he wanted to say something to him, but he felt like he would only make the situation worse if he tried to say something or apologize.

As they turned down another road, Neylon glanced up at the mirror to see the obvious tension between the two boys, “Geez, did someone turn your volume button down? You two seem a little quiet.”

Lance was surprised when he saw Keith physically jump after hearing Neylon’s voice. He blinked for a moment before he looked over at Neylon with a small frown, “Oh, s-sorry. I guess I was a little lost in thought…”

The statement made Lance feel a little more worried about Keith. Did he really seem disturbed by what he said? While Lance didn’t regret what he said, he still felt bad for making Keith feel uncomfortable by what he said. Should he apologize for what he said? What was there to even apologize for? It wasn’t really a statement he felt like apologizing for, but Lance will apologize for making Keith feel uncomfortable.

With a long sigh, Lance reached his hand forward and brushed his fingers against Keith’s arm. The boy lifted his head slightly to look up at him, and he appeared surprised by Lance’s actions. He blinked at him as Lance spoke, “Hey… I’m sorry if what I said made you feel uncomfortable. That… That wasn’t what I was intending to do. I’m sorry.”

Keith seemed entirely shocked by Lance’s words, his eyes wide and brows shot up. He blinked at him for a few moments before he held his fist up to his mouth to hide the smile and chuckle behind it. Lance blinked stupidly at him for a moment, confused by the Galra’s reaction before he spoke up, his voice filled with laughter.

“Lance, you don’t have to apologize for that.” Keith smiled against his hand, “I’m not upset at all.”

“Are you sure?” He asked Keith again, his hand now coming to rest on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure if the Galra’s answer was actually true, “You don’t have to lie to me just to make me feel better…”

Keith frowned at Lance’s words before his smiled returned and he grabbed the hand on his shoulder and held it out in front of him, grasping it tightly, “I’m not lying, Lance. I’m sorry if I made you think you did something wrong.”

“Hey,” Lance used his free hand to flick Keith’s cheek with his thumb and forefinger, “I’m the one who’s apologizing here. Let’s not get the roles mixed up.”

The two of them giggled at each other, completely oblivious to the energy radiating around them. Meanwhile, after they got to a stop light, Neylon threw his head on top of the steering wheel, being sure not to honk the horn with his head. He knew all too well how stupid these two boys were being. Lance has claimed that Keith doesn’t feel the same way, and that he just wants to confess so it doesn’t hurt as much, but he’s an idiot for believing that the prince didn’t feel the same way.

Looking up at the mirror, Neylon looked back at Keith and saw the way he smiled and blushed slightly at Lance’s laughter. Neylon blinked a few times before he shook his head and turned his gaze back to the road just in time for the light to change and for him to push the gas pedal and to continue driving down the road to their next destination.

It only take a few more minutes before Lance had noticed the car pull into a rather discreet parking lot near the back of a large building. He knew they were here. With a small smile, the car began to finally make it stop in an empty parking spot near a door that lead into the back of the building. Before Lance was even able to open the car door, he heard the sound of the door to the building open and the familiar Omega known as Luke rushing out of the door only to stand in front of it.

Keith appeared rather confused at what was going on, but Lance simply rushed out of the door to see Luke, who immediately threw his arms around Lance’s shoulders as the Altean hugged him back. The hug only lasted for a moment before Lance pulled neck to look down at his his old friend, who he hasn’t seen in nearly a year.

The boy’s bright purple hair was pulled back into a low, short ponytail. He was currently wearing a white button down and pure black pants and a brown belt with a white apron tied around his back. His impossibly bright blue eyes were sparkling with joy and he grinned happily at him. Luke was still as child-like and carefree as he always way, and Lance was happy to see him after so long.

“It’s been too long, Lance.” Luke pulled his arms away to cross them across his chest and to jokingly pout at him, “Did I do something wrong that you decided not to see me for a year?”

“We’ve just been busy,” Lance chuckled at him. Why is always like this… “And we’ve a few… events take place over the last few months that have kept everyone busy.”

Speaking of, Lance grinned brightly when Keith slowly approached Lance and looked over at Luke with a curious look. Luke gave Keith a similar look, quirking a brow up in interest. Lance, without even thinking, took his left arm and wrapped his arm around Keith’s back, his hand grasping Keith’s waist tightly. Keith too seemed surprised but he didn’t pull away or ask Lance to stop, and Lance had to thank every known god for that. Even if Keith was alright, Luke was smirking like a fool at the display in front of him.

“Well, well, well.” Luke threw his hands on his hips as he continued smirking at him, “Look what we have here. Little Lance got himself a date?”

“A-A d-date??” Keith’s entire face blew up in a blush.

“Leave the poor fella alone, babe.”

Lance looked up at the door with a smile as the much taller Alpha known as Asher, Luke’s husband, walked over to Luke’s right side. The small Omega had to hold back a yelp as Asher wrapped his arm around Luke’s waist, only for his hand to make a firm placement on Luke’s left buttcheek. Luke was clearly flustered, and Lance was surprised to hear a giggle escape from Keith’s lips as Luke began to tense up. Asher replicated Keith’s actions, only for Luke to turn to him and grab the man’s left cheek and to tug at it like he was his grandmother.

“Oh Asher,” Luke spoke with a warning tone, “Asher, my darling husband, the love of my life. What have I said about you doing such drastic displays in front of people?”

“That doing it in front of people makes you uncomfortable…?” Asher spoke with a slight crack in his voice.

“And if it make me uncomfortable, than how do you think others around us feel about it, hmm?” Luke tugged his cheek harder, causing Asher to yelp slightly.

“Fine, fine, I’ll stop.” Asher held his free hand up in defense as the other hand moved up to his hip. Luke smiled at him jokingly, telling him that was better before he let go of Asher’s cheek and leaned his head up to place a kiss on the same cheek. Asher blinked for a moment before he smiled and kissed the top of Luke’s head.

Asher turned to Lance and Keith with a smile, “It’s been too long, Lance. Glad you finally decided to come and visit us.” He stopped suddenly when he looked down to the see the Galra that was wrapped up in Lance’s arm. “Now, who’s thing pretty little guy here?” That question only got Asher a joking elbow to the side.

“O-Oh, um…” Keith looked away shyly before he looked up at Asher, “I-I’m Prince Keith… it’s wonderful to meet you both.”

Asher and Luke blinked at him for a moment before they turned to look at each other with surprised looks. Keith seemed worried by their reactions, and Lance could tell he was feeling unsure. Wanting to assure him, Lance began to rub circles around his hip bone to try and sooth him. Keith looked up at him with wide eyes before he smiled and mouthed a thank you to him, turning his gaze back to Luke and Asher.

Asher was the first to speak up, “Prince Keith? As in, the second son of King Zarkon?”

“Y-Yes…” Keith kept his gaze on Asher, trying not to lose confidence and to keep his head up.

Asher didn’t respond to Keith, so Luke attempted to revive the conversation, “Well, it’s nice to finally meet you, Keith. Lance’s has told me a lot about you. I hope you’re hungry, buddy.”

“Hungry?” Keith looked up at Lance, one of his brows quirked up in confusion, “What does he mean by that? Is this a restaurant?”

“Not just any restaurant,” Lance smiled down at him, “They’re the owners of the most prestigious restaurant in the entire Altean kingdom! You will never taste food any better than there’s. We’re going to have dinner here tonight.”

“You better be. It was almost impossible for me to be able to get that private room for you two, but I managed.” Luke shook his head with a long sigh, “Thank god I did. The son of the Altean King and the second son of the Galrean King together eating dinner? The press would be up our asses. We’d have to hire the entire police force just to keep them out.”

“I really can’t thank you enough for doing this, Luke.” Lance displayed a truly genuine smile, “It means a lot, really.”

“You can thank me later,” Luke fanned his head up and down with a smile, “Once you two change, we’ll have someone take you two to your table.”

As if on cue, Neylon came walking over with a black duffle bag and handed it over to Lance, who gave him a quick thanks. Keith quirked his brow at the bag and Lance assured him that they were just a change of clothes for them for the dress code here. After having a quick conversation with Neylon, the Altean went back to his car and slowly pulled out of the small back parking lot and disappeared down the road.

Once he disappeared, Luke and Asher moved back towards the back door and unlocked it from the outside before stepping to the side to let them enter into the building. The door lead to a brightly lit up hallway with white walls and bright red carpet. There were two white doors about halfway down the hallway to the left that had male and female bathroom signs next to them. The end of the hallway split off into two different ends, both having signs that read where they went. The left hallway lead to the main dining area, while the right side lead to the private rooms.

Asher and Luke stopped at the bathrooms and turned towards the door before Asher spoke up, “You two can change in the bathrooms. Just make sure you two don’t step out until you know the bathroom is completely empty. We’ll wait out here and we’ll take you to the private room.”

With shared nods, Lance and Keith made their way into the bathroom. There were four stalls in the bathroom, with only one person in there that was washing their hands. The boys quickly made their way to the stalls near the back in attempt to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. They went into separate stalls and Lance immediately dug into the duffle bag to find Keith’s clothes so he could give him them. After a few seconds, Lance pulled out a traditional Galra inspired formal wear.

It was a skin-tight shirt like the one that Keith usually wears, with it started around his neck and stretched down to his hips and wrists, almost like the suits that the knights would wear under their armor. Near the collarbone of the suits were two bright purple lines that extended over to the end of his shoulder and just below them on both sides of the chest were shorter white lines. Similar lines appeared around the end of the sleeves and looped around the arm hole. The pants were jet black with no pockets on the front or back and seemed skin-tight like the shirt. The last item, which Lance assumed was for Keith, was a bright purple cloak that was held by a red pin shaped in the Galra kingdom symbol.

With a shrug, Lance gathered the items before he crouched down slightly and looped his arm under the stall so that Keith could grab onto the clothes.

Once Keith received the items, Lance went to the bag and pulled out his clothes: his usual Altean formal wear that he wore when he first met Keith. It had a bright white vest with thick blue lines on the sides with a golden V-shaped belt and some loose fabric that rested on his upper thighs. He wore a tight black shirt underneath, sleeves black as night with golden rings on his upper arms and around his wrists. The sleeve holes created a black triangle shape against the back of his hands that were connected to rings that rested on his middle fingers. His pants were tight and black, but that were mostly covered up by his thigh-high boots with golden rims that rested on the upper half of his thighs. The last item was a thin, see-through blue cape that a blue stone that wrapped around his shoulders and down to his ankles, similar to Keith’s.

Lance was quick to change out of the blue jeans and hoodie and it took only a few minutes before he carefully put on and attached each clothing item and accessory. It took him a handful of minutes before he was able to get everything on, but after double checking everything, Lance thought he was good to go.

As Lance stepped out of the stall, he was presented with Keith, who was leaning slightly against the stall and seemed to be toying with the pim that was holding his cloak. Lance could tell almost immediately something was wrong when Keith suddenly flinched and reached for the purple fabric that was beginning to slide off his shoulder. Lance moved over to the struggling Keith and grabbed the fabric that was sliding off his shoulder.

“Keith, what’s wrong?” Lance asked him.

“I-I think the pin is loose, or broken.” Keith allowed Lance to hold onto the cloak and he examined the pin.

“Here, let me. Hold onto this.” Lance held the fabric up to Keith, who took a handful of it into his fist and Lance moved forward to examine the pin. Like Keith had guessed, the pin was actually loose, not tight enough to be able to support the heavy cloak. For a moment, Lance messed around with the pin, trying to find some way to get it tighter. The Altean ended up having to completely remove the pin so that he could put it on more tightly. After making sure it was firmly on, Lance stepped back and he let the cape rest on his shoulder and drape down Keith’s back.

“There we go.” Lance patted his shoulders a few times before he smiled down at Keith, “You look handsome.”

Keith seemed lost at words for a second before he just smiled and mumbled a small thank you. Lance patted his shoulder and told him it was he was just being honest. That seemed to make him more flustered than before, but he only blushed slightly. They both turned towards the bathroom door and stared at it for a moment. Even if no one was in the bathroom, they could still be at risk of someone walking by or going to the bathroom and seeing them. Im these clothes, they’re more noticeable and obvious that a splash of white against a black surface. If they wanted to get to the private room, than they’ll need to be quick and careful.

Approaching the door, Lance slowly opened it the bathroom door and peeked outside of it. Luke and Asher were standing near the wall facing the door and they both stood up straight when they noticed Lance peeking out the door. The boys checked the sides of the hall before they gave a signal that they could come out. They slowly opened the door and stepped out of the hallway, completely exposed and out in the open for anyone to see.

“We got one of the waiters to stand guard at the hall to the dining room in case someone comes in.” Asher said to them, “It’ll only take one moment to get you into the room and then you’ll be out of there. The doors have glass windows, but we put up a certain there for the time being so even if someone passed the room, no one will see you.”

The boys nodded before Luke turned down the hall to lead them to the private rooms. When they reached the end of the hall, they glanced to the right and saw the waiter, whose back was turned to them. They looked to the right, seeing the hall completely empty. With a small nod, Luke and Asher quickly lead them to the first door to their left, which did have a red curtain hung up from the inside. Luke pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and immediately pulled out a key with the number one on it and unlocked the door. Without a moment’s hesitation, Lance and Keith entered the room.

The walls were beautifully decorated with bright crimson walls, deep brown hard floors, and a bright white chandelier hanging from the ceiling. In front of them was a white, square table with a soft, white table cloth draped over it. In the middle of the table was a centerpiece with red roses and a single tall, lit candle in the middle of it. Two white plates were placed at the ends of the table with silverware placed in their proper places in front of two brown chairs.

“I’ll have a waiter get you two some menus.” Luke smiled at them as the boys admired the room, “For now, though…” he smirked slightly, “Have fun.”

With that, Luke and Asher closed the door and went on with their usual business as though they never even showed up. Lance and Keith looked at each other for a moment before they smiled and both went over to the table. Keith went over to the chair on the left, and Lance ended up following him. Before Keith even had a moment to pull the chair out, Lance smirked and went behind the chair and pulled out the seat for Keith. The Galra looked behind his shoulder, surprised by Lance’s actions, but he couldn’t keep a straight face when looking at the boy’s cocky grin. He laughed slightly before he sat down in the seat and let Lance sit in his chair.

“My, my. Prince Lance has become such a gentlemen.” Keith smirked slightly at him, placing his hands on his lap.

“Hey, I’ve always been a gentlemen.” Lance replied, “Only the most worthy get to see that side.”

Keith snickered at Lance’s wording, “Well, I’m glad I’m one of the worthy then.”

After a moment, a waiter knocked on the door before he opened the door and and approached the table, placing two menus on the table before asking if they’d like anything to drink. The boys only ended up ordering waters for themselves and the waiter nodded before he left. The two opened up their menus and looked over the variety of dishes they served. While the two princes were used to the kind of food served at the restaurant, Lance could tell Keith was overwhelmed by something.

“Is something wrong, Keith?” Lance asked, lowering his menu slightly.

“I never realized how expensive these foods are…” Keith said to him.

“You don’t have to worry about the pricing, Keith.” Lance assured him, “I’ve said a million times that I’ve brought more than enough money. Order anything you like.”

Keith looked at him for a moment before his gaze moved back to the menu. While the boys looked over the menu, the waiter returned with their waters and placed them on the table. He asked them if they needed more time, and after Lance gave him their answer, he nodded and left the room. After about another minute or two of browsing the menu, Lance folded it up and placed it on the table. A moment later, Keith placed his down too and the boys waited for the waiter to return.

As they waited, Lance could tell something was on Keith’s mind. He could tell because of the way he kept biting slightly on his lip every now and then and how he kept glancing over at Lance, only to remove his gaze. Lance quirked his brow for a moment before he spoke up.

“Keith, if you want to talk about something, don’t let me stop you.” The Altean assured him.

The boy’s ears perked up and his gaze locked onto Lance. He hesitated to speak for a moment, “I’m just wondering why you brought me here. We eat this kind of stuff at home all the time. What makes eating here any different?”

Lance thought about it for only a moment before he spoke up, his gaze locked with Keith’s, “Well, I suppose it’s for the experience. Just think: how would you feel about eating the exact same meal, but back at the castle?”

Keith blinked for a moment in thought, “Well, I guess it wouldn’t feel any different than how it usually is.”

“And what about here? How do you feel about eating here?”

“The place is definitely beautiful…” Keith admitted out loud, “It looks really good and it was nice to meet Asher and Luke…”

“See?” Lance smiled to Keith, “It’s the experience that matters, not what you eat. That’s what I’d like to say.”

The two continued to chat about whatever came to their minds as they waited for their waiter to come back so they can order. They spoke briefly about the book Keith had bought earlier and Keith ended up going on a small rant explaining the story of the Voltron book series that made Lance smiling like a fool at how adorable he looked when excited. Keith said that he had the first book and wouldn’t mind letting Lance borrow it to see if he took any interest in the series. Lance figured he could at least read the first one to learn why Keith is so enthusiastic about it.

The waiter eventually came back and the boys ordered their food before the waiter left them to talk. As if the Altean never even showed up, Lance and Keith went right back to their conversation. It shifted from Voltron, to growing up to Hunk and Pidge, and eventually to Shiro and Adam. They weren’t surprised, considering how excited they had been the first time they spent time together. This time they made guesses as to what Adam had planned for their second date, and considering how the last time they hung out ended, they knew it was a date.

Keith had guessed he him to a nice place to eat, but Lance thought he didn’t considering they went out to a coffee shop last time. While Lance thought that they might have went to see a movie or just hung out at a shopping mall, Keith was still firm on his belief that they went out to eat. They ended up having a small, but more silly and playful argument about it and they both were determined to ask Shiro when he got back to confirm their theories, or at least tell them what happened.

Then, after the conversation ended, Keith spoke up against as he took a sip of his water, “Are you looking forward to the ball in October?”

Lance had nearly forgotten about it. It wasn’t for about another two weeks, so he’s hardly done anything to prepare for it. Hell, he’s barely even thought about what he wants to wear to it. It was still two weeks away, so he had plenty of time to decide, but he still completely forgot about it. He was more surprised that Keith remembered, considering how Alfor had just randomly brought it up out of nowhere during dinner. The excitement for it lasted a whole ten minutes before everyone forgot about it. Why bring it up now?

“I guess I’m pretty excited.” Lance said as he slightly leaned back against his seat, “I’ve only been to a ball once, and they’re way less boring than those professional parties every other person hosts. I swear at those all you do is just stand around in a room, get drunk off your ass, and brag about how much money you have.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Keith laughed to himself, “I’ve never really been to anything like that. And when I have, they do that thing where they shove all their kids into a room and force them to play together.”

“Oh, I hated that!” Lance laughed at the memories, “Me and a few of the other kids would plan out how to get out. They were pretty fun and we could get away with it for quite a while before the adults found us. Once I got old enough to actually participate in them, I was wishing I was a kid again.”

“I’ve never been to ball before. What kind of stuff do you do there?” Keith asked him, feeling slightly embarrassed for feeling clueless about it, “When I presented, I was never allowed to leave the castle. And even before I presented, I never got invited to those events. They were all throwing their attention on Lotor, not that I’m complaining.”

“Well, I’ll make sure you have the time of your life!” Lance grinned at him with a chuckle. Keith smile back at him and giggled before they went back to talking.

After a while, the waiter came back with their food and set their respective plates in front of them. After thanking the waiter, he left and the two dug into their food. Lance ended up waiting for Keith to take his first bite and see his reaction to the food. After he cut a piece of food, Keith moved his fork up to his mouth and tried the piece of food. Lance snickered as Keith’s eyes sparkled and let out a slight moan at the food in his mouth. It only took a meer moment before Keith cut himself another piece.

“Good, right?” Lance giggled at him, grabbing his own silverware.

“Is this what gods eats?” Lance let out a loud laugh at Keith’s response.

The boys happily enjoyed the nice food in comfortable silence. Keith smiled at every bite and Lance just felt happy that Keith was enjoying the food. At one point, Keith had asked him if he could try a piece of his food. Lance smiled and nodded and cut a piece of food for Keith. He held the fork out to Keith, expecting him to take him to grab the fork, but instead he leaned forward slightly against the table and took a bite of the food. Lance blushed slightly at his actions before Keith pulled back and casually comments about how good it tasted.

Lance look away and blushed intensified, but he calmed down and the red disappeared before Keith even seemed to notice them. They continued to eat with occasional works spoken between bites. At one point, Keith cut another piece of food, but instead of happily eating it like he has been doing, he held it out to Lance. The Altean blinked at him for a moment, and Keith shaked the fork slightly, trying to signal that he wanted Lance to take a bite of it. Lance slowly leaned forward and closed his mouth over the fork before he leaned back and chewed. He chewed on the piece for a moment before he hummed happily.

“That's pretty good.” Lance commented, “Don’t think I’ve had it before.”

“Yours was pretty good too,” Keith replied, “If we ever come back here, I might get that.”

It only took a few more minutes before Keith finished his food, with Lance finishing a short while later. The two continued to talk like they did before, shifting to different topics after a few moments. As they talked, Lance noticed how easily Keith was able to start up a new conversation. He remembered how the Galra used to be more shy and he could sense how he used to force himself to start a conversation when they first met. Now, Keith seems to be able to freely return or continue the conversation, and not just with him. He even seemed more carefree around Hunk and Pidge.

After a bit of time, the waiter came back to collect their plates and gave them the tab. Lance opened it up and looked down at the price. While it was a lot, it wasn’t anything that fazed Lance. He had plenty of money. While under normal circumstances Lance would pay with a card, but he knew his father would check it and see the purchases he made on it. As much as he hated paying in cash, it’s better than nothing. He placed the appropriate amount of cash into the tab before closing it and pulling out some money as a tip.

“Is this the last event of the night, or are you just going to keep surprising me?” Keith smirked slightly at him with a chuckle.

Lance hesitated slightly, his gaze lowered, “I have one more thing planned for tonight.”

Keith smiled brightly, his eyes sparkling with joy, but he still appeared surprise, “What else could you possibly plan?”

“Trust me, you’ll see.” Lance smiled up at him, “Is there anything else you’d like to get before we leave?”

“I guess…” Keith thought for a moment, “I suppose I’d just like to enjoy being here. It’s a really nice place… and I guess I’d just like to make some good memories here with you…” Keith placed his hands on the table before looking up at Lance, “Does that make any sense?”

Lance couldn’t help but smile at him. Oh, Lance was in deep… and he didn’t want to climb back up. This man drove him crazy in the best ways possible and it made waking up each morning worth it, knowing he can open his eyes to see Keith sleeping soundly next to him. The slow rise and fall of chest… his soft hair that framed his face perfectly well, despite the messy mullet always in a curled mess. And his eyes… those beautiful violet eyes. They captured the moonlight perfectly as they reflected off of them, and they always seemed to sparkle whenever joy overtook him.

As scared as Lance was of telling Keith the truth, he wanted to tell him so badly. His heart was in his throat and he wanted to just get it out and breath again. Seeing Keith’s smile all throughout the day, and the joy that drowned in his eyes… it made the risk worth it. If they were going to end up being mates in the end… Lance wanted it to feel real. He wanted to really feel like Keith’s beloved. If taking that chance meant that he would lose Keith forever, than Lance would do it. If he didn’t do it now, he would never have him.

The Altean reached forward and grabbed his hand on the table, wrapping his fingers around the purple palm, “Yeah, it does make sense. The whole reason I planned this so that we can go out and make some fun memories together.”

The moment was short, but once Lance would always remember. The look in Keith’s eyes is what drove him to keep trying. They were filled with so much emotion that Lance felt only he could let out. He felt like he brought out a special side of the Galra that no one else had the luxury of seeing. It was always the eyes that spoke for him, showing off how he felt without even having to say a single word to anyone.

And yet, Lance felt like he always brought out the best emotion in those eyes.

They stayed for only a short time more, knowing that they had to have time to make it to their last destination. He texted Neylon afterwords to let him to know to come get them and the two would depart once he arrived. For the time being, Lance and Keith simply talked to each other. It shifted fem random topics to Keith guessing what their last destination was. Lance found it cute how he kept using different clues to try to guess what it is, like eliminating events they’ve already done or events that were impossible to do, like places that would already be closed by now.

Despite spending the last fifteen to twenty minutes attempting to guess the answer, he didn’t get it right once. After Keith made once more guess, which made Lance laugh because he guessed it was returning to the castle, his phone buzzed. Lance pulled it out and got a text from neylon saying he would be there in about five minutes. After reading over the text, he went over and texted Luke that they were done with their food and were about to go change back.

“Everything okay?” Keith asked him as Lance put his phone away.

“Yeah,” Lance replied as he stood up and went to get the duffle bag, which was sitting in the far corner of the room, “Neylon’s going to be here in a few minutes to take us to our final stop for the night. Luke’s going to come over to take us out to the back door once we change.”

With a small nod, Keith stood up and followed Lance towards the door. They only had to wait a moment before a knock came from the door, with Luke on the other side. They slowly opened the door and Luke nodded at them before he turned around and led them down the hall back to the bathrooms. Luke stepped into the bathroom first and made sure that no one was in there beforehe allowed the boys to step in while he guarded the door.

Lance dug into the bag and dug out the thin red hoodie and dark jeans that Keith had worn and handed it to them before the Galra disappeared into one of the the bathroom stalls. Lance dug out his clothes and went into a different stall to change. It took him a minute to carefully take off all the parts of his outfit, but once he got to the hoodie and jeans, it only took a minute to throw them on before he stepped out, with Keith coming out not too long after. After putting their clothes back into the bag, they slowly approached the door and peaked out of it, seeing Luke standing guard.

Once they stepped out to the hall, Luke lead them to the back door and unlocked it before pushing it open, just in time to see Neylon slowly backing into a parking spot. Keith walked over the car and Lance was about to follow him before he felt Luke’s hand yank him back. He looked back with a confused look, and Keith turned around to ask what was going on.

“I’m just going to borrow Lance for a second.” Luke explained to him, pulling Lance back to him, “Get in the car and I’ll send him there once I’m done talking to him.”

Keith seemed worried, but he shrugged and went to the car and got in. Lance turned to Luke with a curious look, “What’s up, Luke?”

“Lance,” Luke’s usual friendly voice turned serious, and he looked up at h8m with heavy eyes, “If you want to return the favor for me this badly, then I have one thing I want you to do for me.”

“And that is…?”

“Don’t hesitate.” He firmly said to Lance, “That boy over there?” Luke pointed to the car, “That damn boy cares about you so much. I don’t need eyes to see that he cares about you just as much as you care about him.”

“What makes you so sure he does?” Lance asks him hesitantly.

Luke didn’t reply for a moment, thinking for a second, before he lifted his head up and smiled, “Because I was the exact same way around Asher before we got together.”

Lance blinked at him before looking away slightly, and Luke continued, “The way he looks at you? I gave Asher that exact same damn look before we got together. I took that risk, and look at me now. I’m happily married to the love of my life and our lives have never been better. Don’t pass up the chance for that happiness, or you’ll live with that regret forever. Tell him. You’ll be thankful you did.”

Luke let go of his arm, realising Lance from his hold. Lance stared down at him for longer than he should, before he slowly nodded. Luke laughed slightly at him before the two of them exchanged their goodbyes, and the older Altean reminding Lance one more time to tell Keith the truth. He nodded again before he went over to the car and got in on the opposite side Keith was on. When Keith asked Lance what Luke had said, he lied and said that Luke wanted him to see if he could come and visit them at home sometime soon.

Once they were ready, Neylon glanced back at the boys before he pulled out of the hidden parking lot and onto the main road. The traffic was just as bad as it was during lunch since it was rush hour on saturday, but it didn’t take long to get out of town, and Lance felt thankful. Keith seemed confused as to where they were going, since they started to reach the outskirts of the city. Lance noticed how Keith kept looking at him with a confused look, but Lance just kept looking out the window with a small smile.

They turned onto a dirt road and they road slightly uphill for a moment until they pulled they pulled into a small, uncared parking lot. The concrete had several cracks in it and a small pothole in the corner no larger than a tennis ball. The few parking spaces in it had faded out lines and not a single car was seen in the spots, or even coming up the short hill. At the end of the parking lot laid a faint dirt path that lead up a large, tall hill. 

Neylon carefully parked the car into the spot before the took the keys out of the ignition and allowed himself to lean back and relax. Keith felt incredibly confused, but Lance simply opened the car door and stepped out, encouraging Keith to follow. His movements were slow, almost hesitant, but he eventually made it way out of the car, looking forward at the path.

“Where are we going?” Keith asked Lance.

“You’ll see.” Was all Lance allowed himself to say before he gestured for Keith to follow him.

Keith quirked his brow at him before he shook his head and followed Lance to the path. The path appeared to loop around the sharp ledges of the hill that were too steep to climb before going straight up to the top. Lance casually lead Keith around the path, but feeling incredibly nervous. It was the time of the day that Lance has dreaded. Not that he wasn’t happy to finally get the feelings out, but rather what would happen once he told Keith his true feelings. Anything could happen tonight and Lance’s mind was only filled with the bad things.

Once they looped around the hill, Lance and Keith hiked their way up to the very top. It took a good few minutes before they were even able to reach the top. However, before they did, Lance turned around and stopped Keith from moving forward. The Galra quirked his brow with one ear movin down in confusion before Lance spoke.

“This place will probably be the best place we’ve been to so far, so be prepared to be amazed,” Lance smiled at him.

Keith returned the smile, his eyes warm, “Can’t wait.”

Not wasting a single second, Lance turned around and moved out of the way for Keith to be the first to see. Keith nodded at him with a smile before he stepped ahead of Lance, the path ahead of them slowly revealing the surprised Keith has been waiting for all night.

As they rose to the top, sitting there right in front of them was the best view Keith has ever seen. They were towering over the city, an amazing view of the entire capital city laid out before them. The sky was blended with oranges, yellows, and pinks from the setting sun that was slowly lowering past the hills that surrounded the city. Splashes of purple were decorating high in the sky as night was soon to arrive. Clouds were scattered around the sky, only making the bright sunset look as beautiful.

Lance smiled at the childlike way Keith was looking at the sky. He slowly walked up to stand beside him and he looked down at him, and the boy was grinning like a fool. Lance would never get over that smile, and he was glad that he was able to get Keith to smile like that. Keith smiles a lot, but he almost never grins like that. It gave Lance a light of hope that maybe he had a chance. Has he been the only one to make Keith grin like that? Would he be the one to make Keith smile like that? Lance could only pray…

“Nice, isn’t it?” Lance asked Keith, looking down at him.

“It’s… beautiful.” Keith couldn’t look away as he grinned.

Lance backed up a few steps before he sat down in the grass, a good distance away from the ledge. Keith stepped back too and copied Lance’s action, quickly sitting next to him to look over the city. The sun set slowly, the area minute by minute getting darker as night was coming soon. The boys took the time to sit in a comfortable silence, just taking the time to enjoy the orange sunset and beautiful view of the city that came with it. The castle was off to the far left, a long bridge over a river leading to the castle built on the other side.

Lance sighed as he looked over at the castle, “I wish I could escape like this more often.”

“Escape?” Keith looked over at him with a confused look.

“Yeah, escape.” Lance wrapped his arms around his legs that he pulled up against his chest, “Go out, be free… not have to worry about the responsibilities of being a prince.” He looked up at the sky in thought, “Everyone thinks that being a prince means that… you can do anything you want. Such oblivious dreams made up by the mind of a child.”

“Yeah…” Keith looked down at the grass for a moment, “It’s nothing like how all the children storybooks says it is. Even me, someone who had the luxury of not having to worry about all these responsibilities, somehow got thrown into the mess of it all.”

Lance looked over at him, a frown on his face, “You don’t deserve to be, you know.”

“Don’t deserve to be what?”

“To be stuck in all of this.” Lance gestured around them, “You’re so friendly and surprisingly sweet. Not everyone may have the luxury of seeing that, but I have. Your life has been a living hell these last few years, and this whole arrangement hasn’t made it any better.”

“Lance…” his voice was so soft and it made Lance’s heart ache.

“You don’t deserve it. Not one bit.” Lance looked over at him with sad eyes, “And I just hoped that I could do something to stop this. I know we’re doing with to end the war but…” he looked over at the city with heavy eyes, “You don’t deserve to have someone throw your life around like it’s a damn ragdoll. I just want to take this all away from you… so you can be happy.”

“Lance,” Keith’s voice was more firm this time, “I know that neither of is agreed to be part of this, but… I don’t regret meeting you. Not one bit.”

“You don’t?”

“Of course I don’t, idiot.” Keith chuckled lightly at him, before giving him a serious look, “You’re so friendly and full of energy. You know how to show someone a good time and everyone never stops smiling when they’re with you. Meanwhile, I can barely get through a conversation without my impulsions taking over, and I get angry over nothing.”

“Are you sure about that?” Lance laughed between words, “You’re really friendly towards everyone as far as I’ve seen.”

“Well, I suppose it depends who I’m talking to.” Keith turned his body slightly towards him, “When I talk to my father, I can barely get a sentence out without wanting to gash his eyes out. With you, on the other hand, it’s like all my worries wash away with the sea.”

“I’m glad.” Lance smiled at him, turning towards Keith as well, “That’s what I try to do: make people feel happy and carefree like there was no problems to begin with.”

“And you do an amazing job at it.” Keith’s gaze turned back to the sky, “I don’t think I could be any happier than I am now…”

Lance blinked at him in surprise for a moment before he chuckled softly with a smile and turned his gaze to the sky. The comfortable silence returned, and Lance was just happy to be here with Keith, and he was glad Keith was just as happy as he was. As they enjoyed the view, Lance wondered when the best time to bring that up. Lance knew he had to do it today, or he would never gain the courage to try it again.

They remained in silence for several long minutes as they enjoyed the view. Lance just couldn’t find a time to bring it up. He enjoyed the silence as much as anyone, and didn’t like trying to force small talk in any kind of silence. However, Lance has to bring it up. He refused to let himself leave this hill without putting the truth out there. He knew he’d regret it and he’ll be living his life in this regret forever. 

Lance took a deep breath and thought it all over in his head. Step one: start up a conversation. Step two: say to Keith he wants to talk to him about something. And step three: tell him. It was the simplest process ever, and it wouldn't be hard. It was so easy that a child could do it. Just do it… tell him. Tell him. As Lance took out a long breath and turned to Keith, said boy interrupting him before he even has a chance to say a word. 

“You brought me here for a reason, didn't you?” Keith looked over at him, eying him slightly.

“W-What makes you say that?” Lance blinked at him, shocked he already guessed it.

“It was just a feeling at first, however…” Keith smirked at him, those beautiful eyes filled with mischief, “The stutter in that voice of yours. I’m right, aren’t I?”

Lance looked away with pink cheeks, “Maybe…” a pause, “Yes, yes I did.”

Keith patiently waited for Lance to speak, to explain to him what his motive was. Lance let out a long sigh as he spoke, his gaze never leaving Keith. “I did bring you here for a reason. I could have easily just brought you here or, hell, just said it anytime today. But, I thought bringing you here and saying this here was a good idea.”

“What is it?” Keith asked him before he placed the palm of his hand on top of Lance’s arm, giving him silent support, “You can talk to me about anything, you know.”

“This isn’t talking. It’s telling, if anything.” Lance took a long breath, and he felt his heart stop once the words were out. He could feel time stopping as the words were in the air, like they were grasping his neck and at that point he couldn’t speak no longer. He could see how slowly Keith transitioned from worry to shock as those words hung into the air. In that moment, both of their lives, and everyone else’s, had changed.

“I like you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shamelessly throws my OCs into the story lmao
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, now here’s the important part: I’m probably gonna take another break  
> I KNOW I KNOW I chose the worst time to do it especially with this chapter, and I might release the next one later but I need a small break  
> While I’m on summer break right now, there are few problems I have writing this during summer  
> 1) My iPad at home is old as hell and is really slow. I can’t even get the doc open most of the time to write it. I could always write more on my phone, but it’s really small and that makes it more difficult than you may think. I normally use the iPad that my school gives us since it’s larger and a newer one, but we can’t keep them over the summer  
> 2) I haven’t had a lot of motivation to write recently. I’m not canceling the fic, so don’t get any ideas (I could never do that, like physically impossible). Like I mentioned a handful of chapters ago I was running out of ideas of things to do until I could start writing the next arc, and I had y’all suggest things. While I have used a few of your guy’s ideas, as well as some of my own, since summer started, I’ve found it hard to sit down and write, especially since both my devices I can write on are garbage. I had this same problem last summer, but since I hadn’t published the fic anywhere, and at the time hadn’t planned on doing so until it was done, so it wasn’t a problem.  
> So, while I will most likely release the next chapter when that comes up, that one will probably be the last update for a little bit. I hope you understand!  
> And thanks for all the nice comments! They seriously make my day and I love reading them!  
> -  
> -  
> All my social media can be found on my Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thosespacegays


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao sorry for updating late I forgot UwU

(September 15, 7:29pm…)

Keith felt like he couldn’t breath.

It was as though the words had were choking the air out of him, and his heart wa bursting out of his chest. He hardly allowed himself to even believe he heard what Lance said. Was this… really real? Did he hear him right? Did Keith really hear what he thinks he heard? It couldn’t be, could it? There was no way it was real. Either way, Keith knew what he heard, even if it sounded too unreal for it to be true.

Keith blinked at Lance with wide eyes as he cheeks turned brighter than they’ve ever been. He wanted to say something, but words failed him, and he ended up just letting his jaw slightly hang open as he stared at Lance with wide eyes. Lance just looked away, his eyes heavy with an emotion Keith couldn’t read and his red blush traveling all the way from his ears to his knuckles. He was gripping his dark jeans so tightly that his knuckles turned white and his hands began to shake from how tightly he was grasping the material. It quickly shifted from his hands shaking to his entire body, and the fear in his eyes became quickly more obvious.

Fear… Lance was afraid. He was scared of telling him the truth, afraid that Keith wouldn’t feel the same way, and that he would ruin everything the two had together. The realization broke Keith’s heart. He’s always dreamt of telling Lance his true feelings, but he never found a good time, and never found the courage to do so. Motivation was the last problem, because Keith didn’t want nothing more than to have Lance. And now? He can; he will. Keith looked at Lance, saw the fear and all, and Keith could do was give him a worried look, that quickly shifted into a smile.

Reaching forward, Keith moved his hand so he could grab Lance’s right hand, which was wrapped around his legs that were pulled up to his chest. Lance lifted his head up from his knees and looked at Keith as the Galra moved his hand so that he could link their fingers together. Lance simply stared at Keith, who instead looked down at their linked hands and grasped Lance’s tightly, trying to assure the Altean without the need of words. Lance, slowly, shifted his position so that he was facing Keith, looking down at their clasped hands. His gaze shifted up to Keith, who smiled softly at him and gave his hand a tight squeeze. With only a slight hesitation, Lance returned the smile and gripped Keith’s hand in return, both of them tightly holding the other’s.

“So…” Lance looked down at Keith with red cheeks.

“So…?” Keith returned his gaze with hopeful eyes.

“What… what does this mean… for us?” Lance gave him a similar look, hoping all the little signs from Keith meant what he thought they meant.

“Well,” Keith shifted closer to Lance, making the Altean blush more and his heart pound. Keith’s was pounding too as he shyly looked away, “I hope this means what I think it is.”

“Well, it depends on what you want.” Lance squeezed his hand, “What you want, for as much as I know, could be something different.”

“Then, what do you want?” Keith asked him, his violet eyes glowing in the orange and pink lights.

Lance shifted closer to Keith, almost no distance between them before their bodies would touch. Keith could sense the fear and hesitation without even needing words to be spoken, but he wished that Lance wouldn’t hold back anymore. He, no— they were so close to what they’ve desired for so long now. It only took a few words before they could finally get the one thing the boys have ever felt this selfish over. Keith could only wait until that assurance was given to not only him, but Lance was well.

“I want this.” Lance said firmly, not a hint of hesitation or doubt in his voice as he tightly held Keith’s hand, “I want us to be together. I know that only weeks ago we had met and just started to become friends, that we didn’t want anything to do with romance, but…” he chuckled sadly, his eyes filled with so much emotion, “When does that ever actually happen?”

“Lance…” Keith tried to move closer to him, tried to comfort him somehow, but Lance didn’t allow it.

“When I realized how I felt, I was a mess.” He continued as thought Keith didn’t say a thing, “Every time I thought I may have a chance, so many ideas filled my head… ideas of why we’d never be together. And yet, somehow, I managed to believe I still had a chance. After getting advice from Allura and getting some… obstacles out of the way, I got the confidence to tell you here.”

As swooned as Keith was by Lance’s speech, he felt confused by what Lance meant by getting some obstacles out of the way, “Wait, obstacles? What do you mean?”

Lance clearly was taken by surprise at the question. Not only was he surprised, panic seemed to arise on his face. Keith squinted his eyes at him before asking again in a more stern voice, “Lance, what did you mean by that?”

“I, um—” Lance stuttered for a moment, before he sighed slowly and used his free had to nervously scratch his neck, “I may have thought Shiro had a thing you for… and that you liked him to.”

Keith sat there stupidly for a moment, unsure if he even heard that right. Shiro? Liking Keith? And him liking Shiro? He was close with the older Galra, he would never deny that, but to have a crush on Shiro…? Keith saw that as being no different than having a crush on Lotor. Keith just blinked at Lance, feeling more confused than he has all night.

“Me and Shiro? Together?” Keith said in disgust before he let out a laughed at the thought, “Where the fuck did you ever get an idea like that?”

“It was, um…” Lance hesitated for a moment, “After your breakdown when your father left…”

Keith remembers that day like he’s been living it every day. He remembers the words he shared with his father, he remembered the tears, the cries and the harsh words going through his head. However, Keith remembers Lance’s tight and comforting hold around him, and the soft words he whispered, assuring him that he wasn’t going to leave him. Keith had wanted to tell Lance his feelings then, but he hesitated, unsure if his feelings were true. He had also gotten interrupted by Shiro as well. 

Was that why Lance had ran out of the room all of a sudden after Shiro showed up? He could sense some kind of hostility in his voice at the time, but didn’t press further when Lance seemed to act fine around both him and Shiro afterwards. Did Lance really think that he liked Shiro at the time, and did he believe that Shiro felt the same way? He has gone on two dates with Adam now, so where did he get that Idea from?

Wait— Lance said he had gotten a few obstacles out of the way before he got the confidence to confess to Keith. Shiro was considered to be one of those obstacles, and Lance was the one who had introduced Shiro to Adam and suggested that they hang out on a day that Lance knew Matt had to work… did he…?

“You set up Adam and Shiro because you thought he liked me?!” Keith blurted out a little too loudly, giving Lance a confused look.

Lance buried his face into his free arm, “Yes, I did, okay?” He lifted his head up slowly and looked away, “I-I was afraid that Shiro was going to take you away from me… that I wouldn’t even had a chance before he swept you off your feet. I-I didn’t want to hurt you, or Shiro, so I wanted to set him up with someone else so that I could have a chance with you. And that, just maybe, Shiro and them would work out and he’ll be happy…” he looked down with sad eyes, “I was so scared of losing you… of losing possibly my only chance at being happy with someone.”

The sudden truth made Keith’s heart shatter, but not with betrayal, but with sadness. Did Lance really think that way? He actually thought Shiro and him would get together? Lance didn’t really do anything wrong… right? He just introduced Shiro to Adam and suggested that they hang out. They were the ones that went through with it. Did Lance really do this because he was afraid of losing him…?

Keith didn't know why he did it, but he found himself letting go of Lance’s hand, only to throw his arms around Lance’s neck and hug him tightly. Lance blinked in surprise, keeping his arms to his side for a moment, unsure of how to react. Keith kept his nose buried into Lance should for only a moment, wanting to feel his warmth for a minute before he pulled back, but kept his arms hooked around Lance’s neck.

“Lance…” Keith spoke in a soft voice as he looked up at the Altean. He smiled sweetly at him, “You didn’t have to do all of that… you had already won my heart.”

Lance stared down at him, his eyes wide and his cheeks warm. Even through all the confessions and confusions tonight held, Lance still managed to feel more alive and thrilled than he’s ever felt. The man he’s been wanting was now curled up between his legs, arms wrapped around his shoulders, and was giving him the sweetest smile Lance has ever seen. His heart couldn’t stop pounding as he moved his arms to wrap around Keith’s waist, and moved his head forward to press his forehead against Keith’s. They stayed like that for a moment before Lance spoke up.

“You know… you never told me what you wanted.” Lance chuckled, his breath hitting Keith’s lips.

Keith gave him a smile with warm eyes as he spoke, “I think I’d rather show you…”

With all words out of the way, Keith and Lance allowed themselves to lean forward and connect their lips in a soft, loving kiss. Keith has had many daydreams about this moment, about how they would end up kissing and how it would feel. None of those dreams or fantasies had prepared Keith for how wonderful this feeling felt, and how wonderful having his lips pressed up against Lance’s would feel like.

At first, their noses bumped awkwardly against each other, but they were quickly able to lean their heads to the side to deepen the kiss. Keith had to hold back his happy sighs whenever he felt Lance tighten his hold around Keith’s waist, or when he felt Lance’s right hand move from his hip to gently cup his jaw. Keith ended up leaning into the touch as the boys moved their lips against each other, wishing that their first kiss could last forever. Sadly, all things come to an end, and they had to pull back to get air at some point.

Keith didn’t pull back until he knew for sure he had to get some air. Lance seemed to feel the same, because they both began to pant slightly once their kiss ended. Keith looked up at Lance, who was already looking down at him with a warm smile. The Galra found himself moving his head forward to bury his face into Lance’s collarbone with a slight mumble. Lance laughed at Keith’s actions before he moved his right hand to cup the back Keith’s head, burying his fingers into Keith’s longer hair.

“You’re so cute.” Lance smiled down at Keith before he buried his nose into the Galra’s head.

Keith mumbled against his chest as his ears flopped down, his cheeks reddening, “No I’m not…”

“Yeah, you’re not cute.” Lance moved his head so he can kiss the top of Keith’s, “You’re adorable.”

Keith grumbled against Lance’s chest as the Altean let out a laugh. Keith cheeks warmed as Lance continued to pet his hair gently as they enjoyed the comfortable silence surrounding them. Their feelings were now out in the open and Keith couldn’t feel more at ease, the heavy weight now removed from his shoulders. Keith will never not be surprised that Lance even felt the same way he did, or that Lance was the one to confess. Keith had always imagined that he would be the one to tell, no matter which way the outcome ended, and yet Lance was the one to confess.

Keith didn’t complain in the end. He was being held but the man he cared for so much, and that was all that mattered to Keith. He didn’t think about Alfor and how he’d react if they caught them, or how furious his own father would be if the news was spread to him. Not once did the idea of Lotor’s teasing tone once they told everyone came into mind, or Shiro’s kind words when he tells Keith how happy he is for them, or Pidge’s groaning, or teasing voice or Hunk’s giggling. None of those things crossed Keith’s mind once in that moment.

All Keith could think about was being in Lance’s arms…

As they two kept a tight hold on each other, the sun slowly continuing to disappear over the horizon, Keith felt another sudden kiss on the top of his head before Lance let out a happy sigh, resuming the same position they were in before. Keith moved his head slightly in attempt to look at Lance, “Happy?”

“Definitely.” Lance happily sighed once again, “Honestly, this is the last outcome I would have expected, but…” his fingers buried deeper into Keith's hair, “I couldn’t be happier.”

“Me neither.” Keith smiled as he pulled his head back to look up at Lance, the man he can finally call his. Lance gave him a similar smile as the Altean moved the hand on the back of his cup Keith’s jaw once again, his thumb making soothing motions against his cheek. Keith leaned into the touch, nuzzling into Lance’s palm with a smile. He giggled a little when he saw Lance’s wide eyes and bright cheeks, blinking at Keith like he didn’t even know what he saw.

“And you call me the adorable one.” Keith smiled against his hand.

“Well, I mean, look at you…” Lance moved his other hand so he could pet Keith’s hair. The Galra blushed at the action and didn’t react for a moment until he felt Lance’s hand begin to scratch behind Keith’s left ear. He tensed at the action before Keith found himself slowly relaxing and sighing happily at the touch. As Lance kept scratching, Keith had to hold back more and more stutters because of just how good it felt. The feeling was indescribable and Keith couldn’t deny how amazing it was.

After a few minutes of scratching, Keith nearly flinched at a sudden noise. Lance seemed to stop too, looking confused, but Keith knew all too well what it was. He dreaded the moment that Lance found out, but then again, if Lance knew anything about basic Galran genetics, he would have figured out sooner. Yet here they were, Keith’s face redder than it’s ever been and Lance’s eyes wide at the sudden realization.

“Keith…” Lance said almost carefully, “Did… did you just purr?”

“M-Maybe I did…” Keith looked away shyly.

“You can purr??” Lance blinked at him in surprise, “Since when?? Do all Galra purr?”

“M-Most of them do, yes…” Keith kept his gaze away from Lance, feeling embarrassed by the sudden reveal, “U-Usually the less Galra DNA you have, the less likely you are to possess the ability to purr.”

“That… is so damn cute!” Lance grinned at him, and Keith was shocked by Lance’s sudden enthusiasm to the realization. “Do you always purr when you’re happy like that?? Or just during certain situations??”

“I-I don’t know.” Keith mumbled and looked away, “It just kind of happens…”

“Well, either way, it’s adorable.” Lance smiled as he moved his hand to continue to scratch Keith’s ear. Keith bit his lip slightly, but he couldn’t control the loud purrs that rumbled like an engine. Lance chuckled at the sound before he began to tease. He began to scratch Keith’s ear harder, and Keith sighed heavily at the feeling. He moved his own hand to firmly press it against Lance’s, holding it in place. Lance had stopped for a moment when Keith let out a soft shutter at the feeling.

“Woah…” Lance blinked at him, “You… really like that, huh?”

Keith leaned against Lance’s hand and slowly sighed, “Your hand is so warm… it feels really good.”

Lance’s cheeks turned bright red at Keith’s words, unsure how to respond to that, “Well, I suppose this information will be useful in the future.”

“Oh god…” Keith groaned at the thought of Lance torturing him with his newfound pleasure. Lance laughed at Keith before he leaned forward to kiss Keith again. The Galra sighed as he threw his arms around Lance’s neck once again as they kissed once more. It wouldn’t matter how many times they shared a kiss: Keith would never get used to the feeling of Lance’s lips against his. It was the best feeling in the world and Keith would always do what he can to chase it down so he could feel it forever.

When they pulled back, they resumed their previous position, with Keith’s head resting on Lance’s collarbone and Lance carefully petting his hair. Keith’s purrs remained, but they were much softer and quieter than they were before; more relaxed. Lance couldn’t stop smiling as he felt Keith relax in his arms and cuddle into Lance’s chest. The two continued to watch the sunset together, the sun slowly disappearing over the horizon and darkness slowly beginning to surround them. Even as it got darker, neither of them said a word, not wanting to ruin the special moment.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Keith heard Lance speak to him, and the sudden question made Keith flinch slightly, “Keith… when did you know that… you liked me?”

Keith thought for a moment, feeling unsure if he should even answer. He pulled back and looked up at Lance, who blinked at him and waited for his answer. Keith slowly sighed, “I’m not completely sure, to be honest. I feel like I thought I did when you took me up to the castle’s rooftop. There was something about the way you spoke, and how you were so willing to help and comfort me… I just felt something. I felt like you were the light at the end of an endless darkness that I needed to help guide me through it…” A pause, “What about you?”

“Me?” Lance blinked at him, “Well… I knew for sure after…” he looked disturbed for a moment before he spoke, “After your breakdown and Shiro had came in.”

Keith looked worried for a moment, and wanted to reach up to comfort Lance, but the Altean grabbed his wrist and stopped him from doing so, “I had no idea why I was so upset. There was something about seeing Shiro there… rushing to you and trying to make you were okay. I don’t know what happened. I felt… like I was defeated, like after fighting a tough battle, and someone else takes all the credit and glory.”

Lance continued, and Keith’s heart ached every second, “You and Shiro are so close; a bond like that could never be denied. At the time, I just… thought that maybe that bond was more than what appeared on the surface. I don’t know why I was so upset with Shiro for showing up at the time, seeing the way you two smiled at each other… I just wanted to get out of there, pretend it wasn’t real. T-That I… pretend that I had a chance.”

Not wanting to hear the pain in his voice any longer, Keith yaked his hand away from Lance’s grip and moved both of his hands to cherish Lance’s cheeks, brushing his thumbs against the tanned skin. Lance looked down at him with sad, yet surprised eyes. Keith leaned forward and slowly kissed Lance again, rubbing comforting circles with his thumbs on his cheeks. Lance sighed into the kiss, knowing that there were no doubts left. They both wanted this, and now they both had it. There was no holding back.

As they pulled away, Keith placed his forehead against Lance’s and spoke in a soft, but sweet voice, “It’s okay… you had already won my heart.” He placed another soft kiss on Lance’s lips, “You don’t have to worry anymore. I’m here, and I’ll always be with you.”

Lance smiled soft down at him before he kissed Keith again, “I know… and nothing could make me happier than I am right now.”

The two kept that position for a while, and they both knew that they had to leave soon, but they were so focused on each other that it was as though nothing else in the world mattered other than the boy in front of them. They finally had each other in their embrace and neither of them planned on letting the other go. It was a moment Keith would always treasure forever, and one that he would never allow himself to forget this.

Keith wanted to kiss Lance again, to remember the feeling of his lips against his, so he did. Keith tightly wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck before he happily kissed him again, and Lance was more than glad to return the kiss, his hands tightly wrapped around his waist. Even after the several times they’ve kissed this evening, it still felt like magic, too wonderful for it to be real. At one point, Keith felt Lance’s tongue brush up against his lips, and he stuttered at the feeling. Lance took that as an opportunity to slip his tongue into Keith’s mouth, and Keith had to hold back his moans.

He stuttered as heard Lance chuckle almost evilly against his lips as their tongue brushed against each other over and over again and Keith could hardly stand it before he let out a soft moan. Lance smirked against his lips before he continued to teasingly lick at Keith’s lips and tongue. Every time Keith shuttered of moan, Lance would just chuckle at lick at the spot again. It didn’t continued for very long, but it felt like days for Keith as he was continuously teased. Just as Lance was about to slip his tongue in once again, he felt a buzz in his jean pocket.

They pulled back and they both looked down at Lance’s back pocket. The Altean moved back slightly and pulled his phone out of his pocket. When he looked down, he saw that Neylon was attempting to call him. Lance turned to Keith and smiled at him, “Give me one second, baby.”

Keith blushed at the pet name before Lance pulled the phone to his ear to answer the call, “What do you want?” Keith was surprised by how stern and cold his voice was when he answered Neylon’s call.

While the phone wasn’t on speaker, Keith leaned his ears towards the phone, and could barely decipher what Neylon was saying, “Lance, I don't want to rush you, but what the hell taking you so long?”

“You have no patience, do you?” Lance replied, shaking his head.

“I do have patience, but this is getting ridiculous.” Keith didn’t need to see Neylon to tell how annoyed he was, “If we stay here any longer, soon everyone will realize that you two aren’t in the castle, and that is if they haven’t found out already. I don’t mean to rush, but we need to leave as soon as we can so we can get you two back.”

Lance let out a long, “Alright, we’ll be down in just a minute.”

“Just hurry, please.” Neylon sighed, “I don’t want to get either of you or me in trouble if this goes wrong.”

“Okay, we’ll be there in a second. See you soon.” With that, Lance ended the call with Neylon and sighed heavily before he reached over to grab Keith’s hand and hold it tightly, “I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to get going. Apparently our time here was a little longer than what Neylon expected.”

“It’s alright.” Keith gave him an understanding smile, “I had fun today. And besides…” he leaned up and kissed Lance’s cheek, “Who ever said we could never pick up where we left off later?”

The words sent a flaming blush up Lance’s face and he found himself chuckling at his own embarrassment, “Yeah…”

Keith let out a laugh at Lance’s lack of comprehension of his own words, “Well, I suppose we shouldn’t keep Neylon waiting. We should get back soon. We’ll have to find a way to sneak back into the castle without causing suspicion from the guards.”

“And how do you suppose we do that?” Lance began to stand up and blink down at Keith. He offered a hand to Keith to help him up at the gladly took it with a smile.

“It’s simple.” Keith began to explain as Lance helped him up, “Most likely the last place any of the guards have physically seen us was heading down to the parking garage, right? And there is bound to be more near the stairs when we go back up. We just say we were spending the day with Matt and Adam.”

“Yeah, but for like eight hours?” Lance quirked his brow at Keith, “And they’d be working all day anyways. What exactly will be our excuse for why we’ve been down there for so long?”

Keith thought for a moment, and Lance could tell he was feeling unsure, “Give me some time to think of something. I should have a somewhat logical excuse by the time we get back to the castle. For now, just go with the plan.”

“I suppose it’s better than nothing.” Lance shrugged before he grabbed Keith’s hand and pulled him back down the hill. Keith couldn’t stop smiling the entire time as they gripped each other’s hands so tightly it was as though they would slip away if they let go. At first, Lance simply leaded Keith, but he quickly caught up to Lance and walked by his side the entire walk down to the car.

When they got close, they saw Neylon was leaning back comfortably in his seat, his bright phone held up to his face as it looked like he was reading a passage or article on it, barely ever scrolling down unless needed. When Lance knocked on the window, Neylon nearly fell out of his seat, flinching at the sudden noise before he realized who was doing the tapping. He gave them an annoyed look before he unlocked the car doors for them.

As they opened the door, Neylon spoke up while he got ready, “Make sure you two sit in the back. I know it’s uncomfortable, but we’re going to be heading straight to the castle.”

Lance was the first one to get in, unfolding the seat and hopping in, holding Keith’s hand until the very last second. As Lance got in, Keith noticed that Neylon was staring. However, he didn’t appear to be staring at them, but rather their clasped hands, and he didn’t seem to remove his heavy gaze until Keith began to get in as well. Keith was confused as to why Neylon was so curious about their linked hands. If Lance had been planning to confess here from the very beginning, than wouldn’t Neylon have known the details of what Lance was planning?

Not wanting to dread on it, Keith got inside the car and they put themselves in the same position they were in when they left the castle. Once the seat was folded up and everyone was ready, Neylon began to pull out of the busted parking lot and back onto the main roads to the castle, soft music playing on the local radio network.

The ride wasn’t at all comfortable, but Keith didn’t complain. The soft tunes being played on the radio made Keith realize just how sleepy he was, despite that it was only early evening. Him and Lance had been roaming the cities like lost children and it was a day that Keith will remember forever. However, the day drained all of his energy and the music didn’t really help him remain conscious. He found himself leaning his head on the back of the middle seats and slowly closing his eyes, softly humming the tune of the song.

As he slowly began to drift to sleep, he heard a quiet chuckle followed by a happy sigh. Keith slowly opened the eyes, only to see Lance sitting there, looking at him with a fond look in his eyes and a soft smile. Has Lance always looked at him like that? It was a question Keith would always ask himself, but may never get an answer to. If he has, than Keith felt like a fool for not noticing the smile, or the way Lance’s eyes alone could show so much emotion without even needing to look at any other part of him. It was a look that Keith felt blessed for being able to see, and he hoped now that he would be able to look at it forever.

“What are you looking at…?” Keith asked sleepily, though he knew exactly what he was doing.

Lance perked his head to the side and continued to smile at him, “The most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”

Keith was taken by surprise at Lance’s words, and he looked away and blushed violently, his cheeks bright red, “Don’t be silly…”

“Such beauty can’t be ignored.” Lance simply said, reaching his arm over to grab Keith’s hand. He held it tightly, massaging his thumb over Keith’s fingers in calming motions. The words set Keith’s heart in motion and he couldn’t hold back his smile as he stared down at their linked hands. He would never get over the feeling he felt when he felt Lance’s hand in his, or when he would feel Lance squeeze his hand tightly like it was going to slip away. All the little things Lance started to do made Keith smile softly at the man in front of him, wishing it would never end.

Lance’s warm hand linked with his only reminded Keith of how sleepy he was, the calming circles being rubbed on his hands only making Keith sleepier by the second. He ended up resting the side of his head on his knees that were pulled up to his chest and sighed happily, giving Lance’s hand a tight squeeze as he slowly began to drift off to sleep.

His hand tightly grasping Lance’s, and smooth circles massaging his knuckles, Keith fell asleep almost instantly, memories of today flooding through his mind. However, every time Keith thought about a moment with Lance, it all lead back to those simple words Lance had told them, one that held so much power with so little words, and yet words that changed both of their lives forever.

-

(7:59pm…)

“Keith, wake up.” Lance tried to speak softly in order to not catch too much attention, but it wasn’t helping much.

The Galra, instead, would only mumble lightly before burying his head deeper into his knees whenever Lance attempted to wake him up. Lance didn't blame Keith for feeling tired; he was a little tried too. However, they had just got into the castle and they needed to get out and back into the castle as soon as they could. Keith would be able to walk back into the castle and he could fall asleep on their larger, more comfortable bed instead of sleeping cramped and hidden in the back of a car.

“Wake up, Keith!” Lance said slightly louder, grabbing Keith’s shoulders and shaking him a little.

After he let go of the boy’s shoulders, Keith groaned faintly before he slowly fluttered his eyes open. He slowly moved his head up and looked up at Lance with heavy eyes. Lance ended up blushing when Keith smiled so softly that it almost wasn’t a smile, but it still had that overwhelming effect on Lance’s heart. Lance shook his head slightly, trying to focus on the task at hand and not being interrupted by Keith’s smile, no matter how cute it was.

“Hey…” Keith chuckled quietly at him, his warm eyes and smile remaining.

“Hey,” Lance couldn’t help but smile at the sleepy Keith in front of him, “Come on, we have to get out of the car.”

Keith looked around the car for a moment, as though he just now realized that they were in a car. He stretched his arm over his head and groaned slightly before he sleepily looked up at Lance once his arms dropped back down to his sides. Lance chuckled before he moved over to grab the seat and push it forward so they had room to open the car door and step out. Lance managed to grab the lever and push the door open. Keith stared at the door before he heaved himself up and clumsily jumped out of the car.

Following Keith out the car, Lance stepped out, folded the sear, and shut the door behind him. Keith sleepily rubbed his eyes as Neylon approached them, with Adam and Matt not far behind him. Before Lance, or anyone else, could say anything, Keith moved over to Lance and immediately hugged him. He moved his arms to wrap around Lance’s middle and he buried his head under Lance’s neck. He didn’t say a word, just simply let himself relax against Lance, while the Altean just blinked down at him and kept his arms to his side.

“Um,” Neylon blinked at Keith, “Uh, anyways… You should be careful when getting back inside. Just try to get as far away from the stairs as possible before you allow yourselves to be seen by the guards.”

“Allura, Shiro, and the others have done a good enough job at keeping the guards at bay.” Matt followed, “You guys have a good excuse for why you’ve been gone?”

“Keith said he was going to think of something, but…” Lance looked down at Keith, thinking for a moment, “I got a good enough idea that should make sense for the most part.”

“Well, you should get going as soon as possible.” Adam said to you, “And if you come across Shiro, say hi to him for me.” He winked.

“Gross.” Keith mumbled against Lance’s chest, and both Adam and Lance let out a laugh. Lance assured Adam he would before he tapped Keith’s arm in attempt to get him to move. Keith didn’t move an inch, only squeezing Lance harder. Lance shaked Keith’s arms, but he still refused to move.

“Keith,” Lance spoke carefully, “Come on, we have to go back to our room.”

The Galra didn’t move still, and the four Alteans looked at him with confused looks, wondering why he wouldn’t budge. Lance thought for a moment before he perked up slightly with an idea. He leaned down slightly so that he could whisper in his ear with a quiet voice, “You want me to carry you to our room?”

He felt Keith nod against his chest and Lance chuckle at him before he reached down to wrap his arm under Keith’s knees. The other arm wrapped around Keith’s back and, with all his strength, Lance heaved Keith up so that he could carry him bridal style. The three Altean seemed shocked that Lance was okay with carrying Keith like that, but Lance didn’t mind one bit, not when Keith nuzzled into his neck and smiled against it.

Lance said his goodbyes before he made his way out of the parking garage and towards the stairs. He struggled to open the door for a moment, but through some kind of magic, Lance managed to get the door open and heaved himself and Keith up several flights of stairs before they managed to get to the door that lead back into the castle. Once again, Lance struggled to open the door, but he managed to push it open and step into the castle hallway.

Luckily to them, there appeared to be no guards patrolling this hallway. With a long sigh, Lance walked down the long hallway and kept his footsteps quiet, making sure not to draw too much attention. When he got to the end of it, he peeked past the wall and looked over down the hallway. There was a guard at the very end of the hallway who stood there for a moment before he turned down another hall and began to walk down it. Lance quickly moved down the hall and kept his gaze on anywhere a guard could potentially be. He reached down the end of the hall and he could either continue going forward or turn down the hall the guard was on.

Lance turned down the hallway the guard went, hoping that they went far enough for it to not look suspicious. The Altean tried to keep calm and act casual, but it was kind of hard to do so when not only were they both dressed in hoodies and jeans, but Keith was barely awake as Lance held him bridal style. He kept a straight face as he slowly got closer to the guard, and the guard only took a few moment to glance behind his shoulder to see Lance and Keith.

“Your highnesses…!” He appeared surprised, “What are you doing over here? Aren’t you supposed to be eating dinner? And if I may, why… why are you dressed like that?”

Lance smiled at him. Keep calm… “Well, we weren’t really doing anything today, so we wanted to feel a little more comfortable.”

“Where have you two been all day?” The guard asked them, “None of us had seen you since lunch. While Allura and Shiro had told us they’ve seen you two today, we were all a little worried.”

“We were bored after a while, so Keith had suggested that we go and visit the Holts downstairs.” Lance simply said to him before looking down at Keith, “This little guy ended up falling asleep. I didn’t want to wake him, so I let him sleep for a bit. But after a while, I figured that I’d bring him back up and put him to bed before dinner.” The prince looked up at the guard with a worried look, “I sincerely apologize if we caused any trouble for you or the other guards. I suppose we just lost track of the time…”

The guard looked suddenly really worried and anxious, holding his hands up in defense, “It’s okay, your highness, I assure you! We were just all a little worried since none of us had seen either of you in a little while. I shall alert the guards about the situation and tell your father you’ll be a little late for dinner.”

“Thank you,” Lance smiled at him, “Just tell father that I’m putting Keith to bed and that I will be with him shortly. And please, assure the fellow guards that we’re both alright.”

“Of course, your highness.” He gave Lance a respectable bow before he headed down towards the dining hall to talk to the king.

As the guard turned down another hallway, Lance let out a long sigh of relief. He looked down at Keith, and saw that he was now completely asleep again, softly snoring against his neck. Lance smiled down at him before continuing down the maze of hallways towards their room. Due to the stairs being near the back of the hallway, it took longer than usual for Lance to get back to their room, but he managed. He occasionally had to talk to any passing guards, putting on the same facade he used for the first guards before they would let him go. It was almost too easy.

When he finally reached their bedroom, Lance opened the door slowly as they stepped into the dark room. While he could barely see a thing, it was just bright enough for Lance to be able to see the outline of the bed. He quickly made his way over towards Keith’s side of the bed before he moved the covers and placed Keith on the bed. He giggled a little when he saw the way Keith almost instantly relaxed into the sheets and cuddled into the soft pillow without much need for the warmth of the blanket.

Picking up the edge of the blanket, Lance moved it up so that it rested on Keith’s shoulders. He heard Keith happily sigh before he fully relaxed into the sheets. Lance smiled down at Keith warmly before he moved his hand to brush some of the longer strands of hair away from his face. He felt Keith relax against the touch, leaning his head slightly so that Lance’s palm was almost completely pressed against his face. Lance smiled and moved his hand so he could scratch behind Keith’s ear again, and he grinned for a moment as Keith began to loudly purr.

Instead of getting really flustered, Keith seemed to relax this time, drowning into the bed. Lance chuckled before he began to scratch harder, and the sleeping Keith was nothing but a purring mess. As much as Lance loved teasing Keith and making him purr like that, he knew he couldn’t stay for long. He’s already been gone for long enough and would need to see his father for dinner soon. Lance only wished he could stay. Then again, Lance would only eat and then he could go back to his room. 

Lance pulled his hand back, and he could tell Keith seemed upset from the lack of ear scratches. He chuckled at the sleepy Keith before he moved towards the wardrobe and picked out some more appropriate clothes. After putting on his usual sleeveless black, blue, and white top with black pants, he turned back to the bed to look at Keith, who was turned on his side and sleeping soundly. Lance smiled over at Keith and walked back over to the bed and looked down at him.

Glancing around the room for a moment, Lance leaned down and placed a small kiss Keith’s cheek before he leaned back slightly and smiled, “Rest well, Keith. I’ll be back soon…”

With that said and done, Lance walked out of his bedroom door and turned down the hallway towards the dining hall. As he walked, Lance tried his best to fix up his hair by combing his fingers through the white locks. His hair had become a frilly mess from being in the hood most of the night, so he attempted to fix it to the best of his ability to clean it up for his father. By the time he got close to the dining hall, Lance figured his hair looked good enough for now. He wouldn’t be able to get it into a more stable condition without a comb.

When he reached the door that lead to the dining hall, Lance let out a long, tried sigh before he opened the door. When he entered the room, everyone’s eyes were on him. Allura and Shiro were sitting in their usual spots and they seemed to shift from worry to relief once Lance entered. Alfor didn’t seem particularly concerned, but he seemed glad that Lance has finally arrived. Lance had also noticed that no one had yet to be served dinner, so they were probably all waiting until he arrived to eat.

“Lance, there you are.” Alfor smiled towards him, “I was starting to get worried. Have a seat.”

As Lance moved across the room to sit down, Alfor spoke up, “The guard alerted me of the situation. Just try to keep track of the time next time. And please, let us know where you’re going as well. The guards have started to worry about you boys.”

“Sorry, father…” Lance looked at him sadly, but Allura and Shiro could see straight through the act of his.

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Alfor gave him a pack on the back with a chuckle, “Let’s just finally eat.”

Their plates were served to them, while Keith’s was taken back into the kitchen. As they began to eat, Shiro and Allura kept glancing up at Lance. He knew exactly what question was lingering on the two’s mind. And when he looked up, Lance saw that they were still giving them that curious look. Lance simply nodded at them with a soft smile, and the two beamed brightly and looked at each other with bright eyes. It only took a minute before the two began to talk to each other in soft whispered, not even Alfor being able to hear them.

Lance shook his head with a sigh, but he still smiled as he ate. Despite the silence in the room, Lance still couldn't make out what Allura and Shiro were saying to each other. He just assumed that they were talking him and Keith, considering their occasion chuckles and grins they shared. Since when did Allura and Shiro get so close? Then again, Lance seemed to notice everyone had one thing in common: wanting him and Keith to get together. Well, now they were so he’d pray that they’d stop with their bickering about it.

Speaking of, Alfor spoke up, seeming curious about Allura and Shiro’s conversation, “What are you two whispering about?”

“N-Nothing important!” Allura gave her father a nervous grin.

“Sure doesn’t sound like nothing,” he squinted slightly at her obvious nervous aura, “Doesn’t look like it either.”

Shir leaned down and whispered something in Allura’s ear. It was loud enough for Lance to faintly here, and he seemed to be saying something about it being alright for Alfor to know. Lance already knew he what his father was going to do, so Lance just threw his head in his hands and let out a soft groan. Alfor only appeared more confused, and he turned to his daughter, expecting her to give him an answer.

“I suppose you could say that Lance and Keith are sitting in a tree.” Allura smirked slightly, hoping the hint was enough for Alfor so that she didn’t have to further embarrass her brother.

Alfor blinked at them for a moment. It only took him a moment to put two and two together before he shot his brows up with interest. He looked over at Lance, and the boy expected a teasing response, but he just seemed to hum in interest. Lance peaked between his fingers and fully removed his hands from his face to stare at his father’s. He didn’t expect such a… casual response.

“Interesting.” Alfor simply said to him with a spark of curiosity in his eyes, “So, you and Keith have been… getting along a lot better?”

“Oh my god, stop.” Lance whined, throwing his face back into his hands once again. Alfor let out a hearty laugh as Allura and Shiro followed. Lance groaned loudly and his blush traveled down to the tips of his pointy ears. They only laughed at him for only a moment before they stopped and Alfor gave him a hard pat on the back.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about, my boy.” Alfor chuckled at him with amused eyes, “I’m glad that you and Keith found happiness in each other. You both deserve to be happy.”

Lance was surprised by his father’s words, considering how this was the same man who broke his promise and forced him into an arranged marriage. Then again, Lance felt happy being with Keith. Even if it took time for them to get to this point, Lance wouldn’t change a thing. He cared about Keith more than anything in this world. Even if their marriage was arranged, Lance was happy with what they had, even if they’ve been together for maybe a whole half hour at the most.

“T-Thanks, father…” Lance avoided eye contact with Alfor, and hoped that his tone didn’t reveal too much.

They continued dinner like nothing happened, eating in comfortable silence. Once everyone finished eating and their plates were taking away, Alfor dismissed the table and left to his office to work. The second Alfor left, Allura nearly literally jumped on Lance, and was grinning like a fool as she got a little too close to Lance’s face. Shiro slowly followed behind with a smile and he shook his head at Allura before he grabbed the princess by the back collar and pulled her back.

“Allura.” He gave her a warning tone.

“I didn’t do anything.” Allura grossed her arms over her chest as Shiro let go of her collar. His warning didn’t really seem to go through, because she ended up doing exactly what she planned on doing. “You and Keith got together?! Finally! You guys are so cute together, and honestly, you two were so blind you couldn’t even see how in love you two were.”

Lance groaned, “Allura, can you not? Please??”

Shiro chuckled at the bickering siblings, “Either way, we’re happy for both of you.” He walked up to Lance and put a hand on his shoulder, “You both deserve each other, even if you don’t realize it. Keith needs someone like you, and I know that you need someone like Keith, too. You two deserve to be happy together, and I hope you both will be.”

Lance smiled up at Shiro before he looked away shyly, a small blush lingering on his cheeks, “Thank you… Keith really makes me feel happy. And I just hope he’ll feel happy being with me too.”

“Trust me, he already is.” Shiro chuckled at him.

They talked about what happened while Lance and Keith were out, and Allura nearly squealed the whole time. Lance found himself mumbling and blushing while he told them what happened once he confessed to Keith. He left out a few… unnecessary details of what happened, but in the end, he gave Allura and Shiro enough information that seemed to satisfy their thirst for details on what happened.

After a few minutes of Allura’s teasing and Shiro making occasionally playful comments, they released Lance from their torment and allowed him to go to his room. But, Lance wasn’t as revealed when he realized the only reason they let him go was so that he could return to Keith and give him more attention. Lance just rolled his eyes at them, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy to go back to Keith. He wasn’t new to Allura’s love for teasing, so he just went along with it.

He waved behind his shoulder at the two and left the dining hall to return to hs room. Lance didn’t even seem to realize that he began to walk faster than usual, trying his best to get back to his room as fast as possible. He didn’t know what triggered him to do so, but Lance simply knew he had been motivated to return to his room as quickly as possible. For now, Lance would just tell himself he wanted to check on Keith.

When he got to the bedroom, Lance slowly opened the door to the dark room so that he wouldn’t wake Keith up. He quickly shut the door to not let the light in and quickly made his way over to the bed. Standing next to the bed, Lance turned on the small mini lamp that sat on his nightstand so that he could at least have a little light in the room. Keith was luckily facing away from the light, so Lance hoped that he wouldn’t wake up.

With careful movements, Lance slipped himself onto the bed and under the covers, sitting up against the headboard. He leaned back against it let out an exhausted sigh, closing his eyes and looking up. While Lance didn’t feel particularly tired, he didn’t really know what to do. He looked down at Keith’s sleeping form, and he found himself smiling softly at him. It didn’t matter how many times Lance looked at Keith; he still set Lance’s heart into motion. And he was so beautiful.

Lance couldn’t help but move him hand down to bury his fingers between Keith’s dark, multi-colored locks and began to pet his hair in calming motions. He heard a small sigh come from Keith before Lance felt the Galra’s head move a little. The Altean stopped for a moment, and then he saw Keith move his head to glance past his shoulder. Moving his hand away, Lance gave him a surprise look and began to feel bad for waking Keith up, especially since he seemed so tired.

“Lance?” Keith mumbled, his voice sounding slightly dry.

“Sorry for waking you up…” Lance spoke in a soft voice, placing his hands on his lap.

“It’s okay,” Keith smiled at him with warm eyes. Lance gave him a confused look when Keith began to shuffle in his spot. He scooted closer to Lance and the Altean's eyes widen when Keith’s destination was right in his lap, resting his head and shoulders on top of it. Lance moved his arms up, unsure of where to put his arms now.

“Can you pet my hair again…?” Keith looked up at him like a clueless child.

Lance’s heart began to pound at Keith’s action, but he ended up smiling softly and nodding at him. Lance moved one hand down to pull the blanket closer to them before he wrapped it around Keith. The other hand moved to Keith’s hair and he quickly began to bury his fingers in Keith’s locks once again, who seemed to instantly relaxed at the touch. Keith moved his head so that he could cuddle deeper into Lance’s lap with a heavy sigh, causing Lance’s blush to intensify.

The two of them stayed like this for a while, a comfortable silence shifting over them. As Lance kept petting his hair, Keith seemed to slowly dose off and he occasionally let out a few sighs at the touch. Lance simply leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes as his hands seemed to naturally massage Keith’s head like he was a machine designed to do this. While neither did anything or said a word, they felt comfortable with the fact that they were alone together.

After a while, Lance felt Keith shift underneath him, causing him to move his hand away from Keith’s head. The Galra looked up him before he looked again shyly, hesitating to speak. Lance frowned, “Keith? Is something wrong?”

“Uh— no, but…” Keith blushed a little, before he looked directly up at Lance, “Can I kiss you?”

Lance was surprised at Keith’s forwardness, but nonetheless, he smiled softly before one of his hands moved to hold Keith’s jaw, pushing his finger against the unique marking. “Of course. You don’t have to ask for a kiss, you know. Just kiss me whenever you want.”

Keith smiled up at him as Lance leaned down and kiss him. Lance would never get over the feel of Keith’s lips, and he could tell Keith loved the taste too. Their lips moved against each other calming motions, and Lance kept brushing his thumb over Keith’s markings, making the Galra sigh into the kiss. Lance soon noticed how Keith began to press himself forward, as if he was trying everything he could to get closer and deepen the kiss.

At one point, Keith pulled away and moved so that he could sit up. Lance’s face turned red when he found Keith began to straddle Lance’s lap, only to lean forward to quickly continue the kiss where they left off. Lance found himself moaning into the kiss, moving his hands to firmly grab Keith’s hips and hold him in place. Keith sighed into the kiss and move himself to press his chest against Lance’s, throwing his arms around the Altean’s shoulders to get them closer. Lance wasn’t complaining by no means, but he was surprised by Keith’s sudden bold actions.

When Keith pulled back a little to get some air, Lance chuckled at him, “Holy shit.”

Keith snorted and let out a laugh, “That’s your response to that?”

“Wouldn’t you have responded the same way?” Lance smiled at him with a laugh, “But seriously, what’s up with you all of a sudden?”

“S-Sorry…” the boy blushed and looked away, “I-I guess I’m just a bit excited… or happy? I don’t really know how to put it…”

Lance moved his hand up so that he could hold Keith’s jaw, brushing his thumb over his cheek, “No, I get it. I’m really happy about this, too… I know that we’ve haven’t been together for long, but I’m really excited for what’s to come.” He pressed his forehead against Keith’s, giving him a sweet smile, “I just hope I can be the man you need… the man you deserve…”

“Does that matter?” Keith said in a more firm voice, “I want you… in all the selfish ways that someone could want a person. I want to wake up to your loving voice and soft kisses…” he moved his head down so that his forehead was up against his chest, “I want to lay in your arms and listen to the sound of your voice… and to kiss your lips whenever I feel alone…️”

“Keith…” Lance moved his hand to wrap them tightly around Keith, one of his hands coming to cherish the back of the boy’s head.

“I don’t care if you don’t think you’re not worthy.” Keith’s hold on Lance became tighter, “You are, and always will be. No one could ever be better than you… I want you.”

“I know…” Lance used his hand to move Keith’s head up so that he could look him in the eye, “I want you too. And now? We have each other, and I’ll never let you go…”

Keith, almost immediately, jumped forward and threw his arms around Lance’s shoulders and kissed him lovingly. Lance happily returned the kiss, one arm on Keith’s hip, while the other cherished his head. He absolutely loved the feeling of Keith’s lips, and if he could, Lance would never stop kissing them. And if he couldn’t kiss them forever, than he could at least keep kissing them for as long as he could. Lance will kiss them as much as he can.

Lance chuckled when he began to place small pecks on Keith’s lips and cheeks, and the Garla giggled in response. He smiled against Keith’s cheek as he continued to place small, quick kisses around Keith’s face. From his cheeks, to his nose, between his eyebrows, his ear, Lance placed kisses on every inch of Keith’s face. And the boy was in a mess of giggles the entire time. Lance wish he could hear his laugh forever, and he had a feeling that he may begin to hear it a lot more often.

“Lance,” Keith giggled as Lance placed small, but frequent kisses against his cheek, “Cut it out…”

“No way, baby.” Lance smirked slightly at Keith when he blushed at the pet name, “You love it, and you know it.”

“Maybe I do.” Keith smiled at him, leaning forward to bury his face into Lance’s neck, “Love everything about you, darling.”

Keith could feel how Lance began to heat up and turn red when he heard the nickname. The Galra laughed at Lance’s react before he placed a kiss under Lance’s chin before he settled against Lance’s neck and the two went back to holding each other tightly. Lance enjoyed the Galra’s tight hold, and he hoped that he could hold him forever. When he looked down at Keith and saw the way he smiled… Lance figured it was possible.

The two stayed like that, enjoyed the comfortness and warm embrace of their lover. As the held each other, Lance moved his arm so that he could reach other and grab the blanket. Keith looked up at him with a questionable look while Lance moved the blanket so that he could wrap it around them. The blanket was already huge enough, so it left them with more than enough room for them to be warm. Keith smiled as he shifted out of Lance’s lap so he could cuddle up against Lance’s side with a sigh, and Lance moved his hand to hold Keith’s head, moving so that he could bury his nose into the top of it.

Just as the boys began to settle down, their sleepiness taking them over, they both jumped when they heard the door burst open and the light suddenly turn on, illuminating the entire room in a harsh light. As Keith buried his face deeper into Lance’s neck to shield his eyes from the light, Lance looked over the door with a furious look in his eye to see who was there.

The intruder was Pidge, who was standing in the room, with Hunk hesitantly trailing behind her. She was grinning wickedly with an mischievous look in her eyes, like the devil himself had come and took control of her. Hunk had a nervous look in his eyes and he seemed conflicted about coming into the room, but Pidge ended up physically dragging him into the room and kicking the door behind them.

“Pidge, what the fuck?” Lance nearly growled at her, his hold on Keith tightening.

“Is it true!?” Pidge jumped over to them with stars in her eyes and a bright grin, pointing an accusing finger at Lance as she approached, “Don’t tell me Allura was lying to me when she said you two got together!”

“Pidge,” Hunk spoke in a gentle voice. He wanted her to calm down, but Lance could tell he was just as curious as Pidge was.

When the two of them got to the bed, they stared down at Keith’s curled up state, who looked up at them just as annoyingly as Lance was. Hunk nervously looked over at Pidge, whose eyes were sparkling as she held back the urge to jump around the room like a child having a sugar rush. As Lance’s eyes narrowed at her, she began to squeal with a bright grin.

“Oh my gosh! You guys are actually together!?” She asked them with a cheer.

“What does it look like?” Lance asked her with a more harsh tone.

As Pidge silently celebrated by bouncing up and down around the room, Hunk turned to them, and he spoke in a low voice so Pidge couldn’t hear him, “I’m sorry about this. I tried to stop her, because I figured you two were either asleep or in a situation like this. But,” he chuckled slightly, “You know how Pidge is.”

Keith sighed, “It’s alright, Hunk. I’ve come to learn that there is no stopping Pidge when she wants something done.”

“She’s determined, I’ll give her that,” Lance nodded to Hunk, “But, sometimes it’s not always for the best.”

Pidge eventually made her return to the bed and she grinned at them, “I honestly can’t believe it. After all this denial and insistence that you don’t like Keith that way, just look at you now!” She held her hands out to gesture to their cuddling position. 

“Yes, Pidge, we get it.” Lance looked at her with a sigh, “Are you done, or is there actually a understandable reason you came here?”

“Well, other than getting confirmation, I want to know the story!” Pidge gave them a curious look, “Who confessed first? Did you kiss afterwards?? What happened?!”

“Pidge,” Hunk grabbed the back of Pidge’s shirt and pulled the smaller Altean back carefully, “Let’s leave them be, okay? I don’t think now is the best time to ask them questions.”

The Altean pouted slightly before she leaned forward and pointed an accusing finger at Lance, giving him a slight glare, “I will get answers, whether it be from you or someone else.”

Hunk sighed slowly as he grabbed Pidge’s wrist and began to drag her back to the bedroom door. Once they got there, Hunk glanced over his shoulder to look at Keith and Lance, “We’ll see you guys later.”

As Hunk dragged Pidge out of the room, she managed to scream out, “I will get answers! Mark my words!”

Keith let out a small laugh as they closed the door behind them, while Lance just let out a sigh. He should have expected this. He knew Pidge would barge into his room the second she found out. They always casually enter each other’s rooms like that, something they’ve done since they were little because they’ve known each other for so long that it just became such a casual and undisturbing act. Now, in situations like this, casually coming into their room like that wasn’t the best time.

“Are you okay?” Keith’s sudden question caused Lance to look down at him with a slightly shocked look, “You seem upset…”

“I’m not really upset.” Lance’s hand moved to calmly stroke Keith’s hair, “Sometimes I regret allowing them to casually walk into my room like that.”

“I think it’s a little nice.” Keith snuggled closer against Lance, “Having such close friends like that, where you can just walk into each other’s rooms like it was your own. It’s not much of a bad thing, I don’t think.”

“It’s not really bad at all, but…” Lance looked towards the door, “Sometimes it can be a bit of a nuisance.”

“Hey,” Keith moved to look up at Lance as his hand went to grab Lance’s, “It’s okay. You know how Pidge is… it’s best to just leave her be. And besides…” He leaned up to place a kiss on Lance’s lips, “They’re gone now.” He cuddled into Lance’s neck and kissed it softly, “It’s just us now…”

Lance moved his hands to hold Keith tightly before he placed a soft kiss on his head, “Yeah… just us.” He smiled against it.

As the boys began to relax against each other, Lance heard a yawn come from Keith before the boy let out a sigh against his neck. Lance chuckled at him before he moved his head to kiss the top of Keith’s and to get a better view of Keith. Was he still tired even after the sleep he’s already had? Lance found it adorable as the Galra kept letting out large yawns, his ear folding down and his mouth opening to show off his little fangs. He knew that Keith, like most Galra, Alpha or otherwise, had fangs, but seeing them still made Lance’s cheeks turn red.

As Keith let out another loud yawn, Lance chuckled at him before he placed a tiny kiss on the boy’s nose. Keith looked up at him with heavy eyes and a confused look, his blush undeniably present. Lance smiled down at him before he placed another kiss on his cheek and smiled against it. His actions only made Keith more confused before he asked Lance what he was doing.

“Why don’t we head off to bed?” Lance asked Keith as he pulled away from his face, “You’re yawning every three seconds, and I’m getting a little tried too.”

Keith nodded towards him before he let out another yawn, causing both of them to let out some laughs. Lance allowed Keith to shift out of his hold as he stood up off the bed. As Keith sat in the middle of the bed, Lance went to his dresser and pulled out some comfortable sweatpants to wear before he stripped out of his clothes, only wearing the sweatpants and showing off his tan, bare chest.

Lance chuckled and smiled slightly at how Keith seemed to immediately turn red at Lance’s lack of shirt in his outfit. He didn’t really understand why Keith seemed so flushered about it. Lance always sleeps with no shirt, and has since before Keith even appeared in the picture. He could tell that the first time he slept here that Keith was slightly uncomfortable with Lance sleeping with no shirt, but everytime it just kind of became a casual thing and Keith had yet to show signs of discomfort until now.

“Something wrong?” Lance asked him from across the room.

Keith’s ears perked up at Lance’s question and he looked away with a blush, “N-No. It’s fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

Lance gave him a slight frown, “You’re really bad at lying, you know. You can tell me if something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong, I swear.” Keith held his hands up in defense, “It’s just…”

“Just?”

“I mean— you’ve always slept with your shirt off but,” Keith lowered his hands slightly, “I don’t know. It just feels different this time than it usually it. Because… I-I don’t know. Does that make any sense?”

Lance smiled at him with with warm eyes before he moved over to the bed. Keith blinked at him in confusion before Lance climbed up onto the bed and crawled closer to Keith. The boy was surprised, but he didn’t attempt to move away from Lance as he placed both hands firmly next to Keith’s sides and hovered over the Galra. Keith didn’t move, but his entire face was red as a tomato as he leaned back slightly against the headboard. Lance chuckled at him before he leaned forward.

At first, Lance was going to kiss him and taste his lips again, but Lance couldn’t help but tease the poor Keith below him. Instead of going for his lips, Lance leaned to Keith’s ear so that his lips hovered it. Keith shuttered as Lance kissed the end of it and then moved to whisper into his ear, sending a shiver down Keith’s spine.

“Oh, I get it, baby.” Lance spoke in a low voice that made Keith bite his lip, “I bet you just loved seeing me without my shirt, huh?” He moved a hand to place it on Keith’s chest, “You must have laid in bed dreaming about my bare chest…”

“Lance…” Keith shuttered against the touch, biting his lip to hold back his moans.

Smirking, Lance immediately pulled back and moved off the bed to stand up. As he went to turn off the bedroom light, nothing but the small table lamp illuminating the room, Keith laid there dumbfoundedly with a flushed face as Lance moved his hand to turn off the table lamp. Once it was off, Keith turned to look at Lance almost angrily as Lance went to climb onto the bed. As Lance began to lay down and settled into his side of the bed, he yelped with he felt Keith grab his arm and pull him closer to the middle of the bed.

Lance’s face was only inches away from Keith before the Galra rushed forward to connect their lips in a harsh kiss. Keith wasted no time and started to lick at Lance’s lips in attempt to open them up. It wasn’t until Lance let out a breathy shutter that Keith was able to move forward and mix his tongue with Lance’s with a moan.

It was so overwhelming and Lance couldn’t get over the feeling. He never would have guessed that Keith would be bold enough to do that. In the end, Lance didn’t complain as his tongue danced with Keith’s, moaning over and over again into the kiss. He ended up gripping Keith’s shoulders tightly as he moved forward, trying to get as close to Keith as humanly possible. He could tell Keith was trying as well when the boy moved to tightly wrap his arms around Lance’s middle.

However, it was all a scam when Keith suddenly pulled away and moved back so that he was closer to his side of the bed. Lande blinked dumbfounded as Keith said, “Well, I’m tried, so I’m going to bed. Night.” And turned around so that his back was facing Lance.

Lance just stared at his turned over form with a red face and heavy breath. He looked at him angrily before he began to shake Keith, doing what he can to get him to say something, but Keith stayed as still. Ance pouted as he began to shake harder, “Aw, Keith, come on! Keith!”

Even if Keith was still, and is usually pretty deadpan and can control himself, but he kept letting out a waterfall of giggles and evil chuckles. Lance smirked slightly at him before he began to shake Keith again. Keith kept snickering and stayed turned over as Lance whined at him.

“Keith, come on.” Lance pouted at him again, “Is this revenge because I was teasing you?” He paused and thought for a moment before he got an idea. Lance lowered his voice and moved his head to kiss Keith’s temple. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to upset you like that…” Keith glanced back slightly as he spoke, while Lance kissed his cheek and kept his head there, “Can you forgive me?”

The Galra kept looking over his shoulder, but this time with a worried look on his face. He kept staring at him for a moment before he turned around and looked up at him. Lance blinked at him for a moment before he felt Keith bury his face into Lance’s chest and mumbled against it. Lance pulled back slightly and looked down at him before Keith looked up at him and spoke again.

“God, Lance.” Lance was confused by his words for a moment before he spoke again, “You’re too sweet for me to tease like that.”

Lance chuckled at Keith before he kissed the top of his head and sighed against it, “Look who’s talking. You’re so cute, you know that?”

“I am not.” Keith said to him.

“Oh, yes you are, baby.” Lance insisted, moving a hand to cup his cheek and kiss his forehead. “You’re adorable.”Keith pouted at him again, but he didn’t say anything as he moved his head so that he could nuzzle into his neck. Lance giggled at him before he spoke, “Let’s just go to bed already.”

“Alright, alright.” Lance smiled down at him. He shifted in his place slightly before he moved the blanket to their shoulders. Once done, Lance moved an arm to wrap around Keith’s middle, while the other moved to that it laid above his head comfortably. Once in that position, Keith allowed himself to cuddle up against Lance and lay his head under the boy’s chin.

Once they were both in their comfortable position, the two allowed themselves to slowly and softly fall into sleep, allowing themselves to relive today’s events in the form of dreams. While they dreamed about their unforgettable day, unlike reality, they dreamed about what it would be like if they were already together. How different would it have been if they were already together? They weren’t sure, but they both knew one thing.

Tonight had no regrets.

-

(12:09am…)

The room was cold and the air felt heavy, but why? That was a question that the Altean king didn’t have an answer for. His office was never a room that was very cold unless it was the harsh months of winter, or maybe a cruel autumn. Maybe it wasn't the room that was cold, but rather a chill that was surging through Alfor’s spine in a constant flow like a the water in a river flowing down the stream. He didn’t know where the tense atmosphere emerged from, but he soon got the answer.

King Alfor was sitting at his desk, looking down at a few pieces of papers that were sprawled on his desk. It was just his usual work, the same work that keeps Alfor up at these late hours almost every night. There were several things he was expecting to happen during these late nights of work, but one of them was not a call from Coran. Usually, Coran would already get off work and would usually be asleep by now. Why was he awake?

Nonetheless, Alfor pressed the button on the operator and Coran’s voice echoed through the cold, dead office. “Your majesty, a call from King Zarkon has just been received. I wanted to ask if you wanted me to send the cal, to you or reschedule the call later.”

“Put him on.” Alfor simply said, and moments later, the phone rang on the operator. The king picked up the phone and held it to his ear. It only took maybe a second before Alfor spoke up, “Is there a special reason why you chose to call me in the middle of the night? I hope it’s something important.”

“It is.” Zarkon’s voice was stern and cold in the other line, “I know that we have never been on the best terms, but I feel like I need to express my frustrations at this moment. Alfor, it’s been over a month since we met and arranged this agreement of ours.”

“Your point, Zarkon?” Alfor asked him, quirking his brow, “What does this have to do with calling me at such an hour?”

“I knew you would be too busy with other arrangements if I attempted to call you the next morning.” Zarkon explained to him before his voice became more cold, “But that’s not the point. The point is this: We agreed over a month ago that we would allow our sons to be married, as a symbol of the peace we’ve made. And yet, a month and a half later, and we’ve only briefly discusses future plans for their marriage.”

“I don’t seem to understand what is bothering you.” Alfor sighed slightly at him.

“I believe that we have been stalling plans for too long.” Zarkon said to him, “I understood at the time when you wanted to wait before we go through with any plans, but we’ve yet to pursue anything we’ve discussed.” He grunted angrily over the phone, “Why? Why such hesitance? Is there a reason why you continue to sit by and wait? The media has been anxiously waiting for us to reveal more information, but I cannot tell them anything because we’ve yet to go through with anything. Is there any particular reason why you hesitate?”

“I do, and I assure you, it was for the best.” Alfor sighed, “My son… he’s the type that likes to live life like a fantasy, to explain it with words. He dreams of finding his true love, someone he choses. I did a deal of damage to our relationship by accepting your offer for our sons to marry.”

“I do not see why this causes such hesitation.” Zarkon replied.

Alfor stayed quiet, thinking over his head of how to explain it to someone like Zarkon, “I requested that we hold out on going through with any future plans so that the boys could grow closer. Prince Lance has always been a sweet and understanding boy, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before he would befriend Prince Keith. I believed that they would become more cooperative if they grew closer.”

“And what makes you think they will be?” Zarkon asked him, “Even if they have become better friends, what makes you believe they’ll still be cooperative with the marriage arrangements?”

Alfor chuckled almost evilly into the phone, smirking at himself, “Earlier today, I had received some interesting information from my one my guards that believed would be beneficial if I knew. He had said that while he was on duty, he heard one of my sons friends cheering loudly in the hallway. When he went to investigate, he said he heard her say something very interesting, with the other agreeing with her.”

“And what exactly did this woman say?”

He chuckled against the phone, “She was saying how excited she was that our sons have gotten together.”

Zarkon was silent on the phone for a moment before he spoke against, his voice filled with shock, “Gotten together? Like, In a consenting relationship?”

“I was just as surprised when I was told too.” Alfor said, “I obviously expected them to become friends because of Lance’s friendly nature, but not even a god could have predicted such an outcome.” He leaned back against his chair, “Nonetheless, this news will make things… easier for us. The boys should become more cooperative after this, and just maybe even take it more seriously than they have before.”

“Indeed.” Zarkon replied to him, “If you wish, I’d like to see if we can start to arrange a meeting for us to meet again. With this news, I’d like us to finally discuss and go through with some plans.”

“That’s fine with me.” Alfor said to him. “Call me tomorrow at three and we can make arrangements for a meeting.”

“Very well. For now, I’ll let you get back to work. I’m sorry for disturbing you at this hour.”

“It’s alright. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Have a goodnight.”

“I’ll be looking forward to our call, Alfor. Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so updates will be on pause for now. I don’t know for how long, maybe for about a month.  
> In a few weeks I’ll be going on vacation in Florida anyways, so regardless of whether or not I could keep writing, I would’ve take a break anyways, so yeah.  
> -  
> Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thosespacegays


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